Hollywood raised a white flag in the culture war on Sunday.
That summation of the 82nd Golden Globe Awards will undoubtedly irritate some people in the film capital. Us? Concede the moral high ground to newly elected President Donald J. Trump and his supporters? Never.
They could – rightly – point to the films that won prizes on Sunday. 'Emilia Perez', honored with four Globes, is a Spanish-language musical about trans identity. “The Brutalist,” which received three, is an epic about the struggle against immigrants. “Conclave,” the best screenplay winner, is about the selection of an intersex Mexican pope. 'Wicked', which received a new award for best blockbuster, is about prejudice and the corruption of power.
But the Globes were never about subtlety. The Globes are the places where stars supposedly let their hair down, where they proselytize for progressive causes and concerns. Sunday's show was the first megaphone in Hollywood since Trump was comfortably elected to a second term. And this time there was hardly any.
In 2017, Meryl Streep bumped into Trump from the Globes stage and decisively threw down the gauntlet for a new kind of culture war. The following year, the Globes became a de facto rally for the Time's Up movement, with dozens of actresses wearing black to protest sexual harassment and Oprah Winfrey giving a bombshell speech. In 2020, Michelle Williams made an impassioned plea for abortion rights, while Russell Crowe drew attention to climate change and a bushfire crisis in Australia.
Black Lives Matter, the global refugee crisis and veganism have all been touted from the Globes stage. In 2023, the Globes gave airtime to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who gave a speech condemning Russia.
During the official pre-show on the red carpet, the hosts kept the conversation bordering on cotton candy: you are beautiful, I am beautiful, the weather is beautiful, everything is beautiful. “It's Sunday afternoon and the sun is shining,” Felicity Jones told an interviewer. “There's not much to complain about.”
During her show-opening monologue, comedian Nikki Glaser gently teased the assembled celebrities for not being able to stop Mr. Trump from returning to office. “It's okay,” she said. “You'll get them next time, if there is one.” She smiled and added, “I'm scared,” before changing the subject to Ben Affleck's sex life.
The only other notable political commentary came three hours later, when “Emilia Pérez” won the Globe for best musical or comedy. The film's star, Karla Sofía Gascón, took this moment to stand up for trans rights. “You can beat us up,” she said. “But you can never take away our souls.”
“Raise your voice,” she added.
Maybe the lack of politics on Sunday's show shouldn't be such a big surprise. Many of those who oppose Mr. Trump appear to still be figuring out how to oppose him and his administration. And there's even been a slight rightward shift by Hollywood, to cut some of the most progressive aspects of some shows and select more films that appeal to Trump's base.
Ahead of the Globes, some publicists and agents advised clients to keep quiet about Mr. Trump, pointing to Rachel Zegler as a cautionary example. After the November election, Ms. Zegler, the young star of Disney's upcoming live-action “Snow White,” sharply denounced Mr. Trump and his supporters in a social media post. The MAGA backlash was severe and Ms. Zegler was forced to apologize.
And for the people behind the Globes, the silence was probably welcome. Producers who specialize in awards broadcasts say research compiled mainly by Nielsen indicates that viewers don't like it when celebrities turn a visit to the stage into a pulpit for political bullies. A minute-by-minute analysis of viewership indicates that “huge swaths” of people turn off the television when celebrities start giving their opinions on politics.
It was reminiscent of a time, decades ago, when stars tried to be stars, turning on the charm and saying nothing that might alienate a single ticket buyer. The message came through loud and clear.
