The 2025 Golden Globes saw a mix of unexpected winners, major celebrity gossip and a critical comedian that openly criticised the Hollywood industry.  Major motion pictures swept the floor with awards, namely Emilia Perez winning four and dominating the night. However, host Nikki Glaser was the true star of the show, with jokes openly mocking the industry, and gossip such as Zendaya’s rumoured engagement became another key focus of the night. Overall, the 2025 Golden Globes saw a transition in public perception of the show – what was once a space dedicated to the appreciation of film and tv is now becoming an opportunity for the masses to openly critique the Hollywood industry, all while gathering new celebrity gossip.

The 2025 awards saw major surprises across a plethora of categories. Anora was shockingly left empty handed, despite being recognised as a fan favourite likely to win.  Emilia Perez swept the stage with a total of four awards, shortly followed by The Brutalist winning three. A major takeaway was seen from Demi Moore, winning her first Golden Globe at the age of 62, with an Oscar nomination also seeking to be soon filled. This year’s awards ceremony saw surprising results, yet the awards were the least appreciated aspects of the night. 

The awards were the least appreciated aspects of the night

The press saw gossip as a more significant part of the night, undermining the intended purpose of the awards. Zendaya is usually praised for her impeccable sense of style at these events, yet headlines instead highlighted her alleged engagement to actor Tom Holland. With a large diamond ring on her ring finger, rumours spread about a hinted engagement from the two. News circulated mostly on this take, with Holland’s father later confirming it. 

The night’s gossip didn’t just circulate around Zendaya, with The Wicked cast also stealing the show. The promotion of the musical held the attention of the internet, with its fandom making memes on platforms such as TikTok and X, formally Twitter. The cast openly addressed these jokes about the movie, with leading actor Jeff Goldblum asking why fans call him ‘Zaddy’ and Michelle Yeoh questioning why she was referred to as ‘Mother.’ This cluelessness of the Gen Z language overshadowed the film’s multiple awards nominations in the public media.

The gossip of the night was the highlight of news headlines

Evidently, the gossip of the night was the highlight of news headlines. Zendaya and Tom Holland’s engagement received millions of views on X, with it trending more-so than the awards themselves. Furthermore, Wicked’s TikTok fame didn’t stop after the golden globes, with stitches of sound bites trending on the app, specifically over comments made by Yeoh and Goldblum. Gen Z thrives off new content, especially memes and rumours, and thus used this as an opportunity to stitch their favourite celebrities to fit the format. 

Finally, the real star was the comedian host Nicki Glaser. She now holds the record for the first female host of the show in its 82-year history of running. Glaser utilised her platform to openly criticise the industry and the individuals within it, which saw large popularity on the internet. 

Frankly criticising the industry, Glaser stated that she was in a room full of producers for the first time with ‘all of my clothes on’ biting back at past misdemeanour in the film industry. She continued to mock celebrities stating that Benny Blanco’s main reason for being Selena Gomez’s fiance was because of a ‘genie who granted him that wish’, gaining much popularity on the platforms TikTok and X. 

Finally, Glaser was later criticised for her ‘disgusting’ jokes about Sean P. Diddy. While starting off safe with more ‘tame’ jokes, Glaser states that the after party will not be as good with ‘no baby oil this year’, referencing P Diddy’s allegations of sexual misconduct. 

Glaser clearly set a strong agenda for her comedy on this platform and was a media hit because of this. Media outlets not only focused on her jokes, but also Glaser’s record breaking title as the first female host of the Golden Globes. This news proved far more significant than the awards themselves, and highlights the event as a tool used to develop a platform rather than appreciate the arts.  

Highlights the event as a tool used to develop a platform rather than appreciate the arts

The 2025 awards overall saw a mass depreciation of talent, with a larger focus on gossip, and the comedic highlights of Nicki Glaser. Media headlines in fact shifted a focus to the soundbites from Glaser’s show, and their favourite celebrities gossip. It is evident that the depreciation of the films and TV is becoming much more apparent with trending feeds on X revolving around major rumours rather than about the Films and Television shows. It is unfortunate that the upcoming generations see a larger apathy towards the broadcasted art, with a focus more on media consumption. With future academy awards set to come, we are yet to see how this focus will be reflected.

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