Tina Fey and Amy Poehler kicked off the ceremony with a killer monologue, despite cohosting the event from separate coasts. As they opened the show, they took a moment to not only diss the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — who selects the nominees — over not having any Black members, but they also slammed nominated series Emily in Paris.

“Emily in Paris is nominated for Best TV series, musical comedy,” Fey, 50, began. “I cannot wait to find out which it is. French Exit is what I did after watching the first episode of Emily in Paris.”

Right after the jab, the camera awkwardly panned over to star and producer Lily Collins, who smiled and laughed. The Netflix series, which received two Golden Globe nominations, recently came under fire for reportedly flying the HFPA out to the show’s Paris set and treated them to a stay at the five-star Peninsula Paris hotel. A studio source told Us Weekly that they did not fly HFPA members to Europe.

Later in the evening, Jane Fonda delivered her Cecil B. deMille Award acceptance speech. She shared a powerful message about the importance of diversity and inclusion across the entertainment industry.

“Stories … they really can change people, but there’s a story we have been afraid to see and hear about ourselves and this industry. The story about which voices we respect and elevate and which we tune out. A story of who is offered a seat at the table and who is kept out of the room where decisions are made,” the actress and activist, 83, said. “Let’s all of us, including all the groups that decide who gets hired and what gets made and who wins awards, … make an effort to expand that tent so that everyone rises and everyone’s story has a chance to be seen and heard.”

Chadwick Boseman’s wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, went on to give an emotional, tear-filled speech while accepting his posthumous award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

“He would say something beautiful, something inspiring,” Ledward, 30, said. “Something that would amplify that little voice that tells you you can, that tells you the keep going, that calls you back to what you are meant to be doing in this moment in history.”

Before closing out her speech, she told her late husband directly, “Hun, you keep ‘em coming.” Boseman died at age 43 in August 2020 after quietly battling colon cancer.

The 78th annual ceremony took place amid unprecedented times due to the global COVID-19 crisis — a factor that caused the show to air nearly two months later. The prestigious affair was broadcast live from New York City’s Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center and from inside the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

Fey and Poehler, 49, returned to host the Golden Globes for the fourth time after having previously done so in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Kenan Thompson, Margot Robbie, Awkwafina and Tiffany Haddish were among the A-list talent who were recruited to help present awards from different coasts.

The 2021 nominees made virtual appearances during the event from various locations across the world. Shows including The Flight Attendant and Emily in Paris as well as films such as Promising Young Woman and One Night in Miami were recognized with nominations.

Check out Us Weekly’s video above to see a complete look at the best moments from the night, including Catherine O’Hara’s husband, Bo Welch, jokingly playing her out during her acceptance speech for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy!

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Dory Jackson