What You Didn't See At The 2020 Golden Globes

The 77th annual Golden Globes officially marked the start of the 2020 award show season, and all you really need to know is that Cats didn't win anything. In fact, the Los Angeles Times reported that the film was "pulled from Universal's awards season website." Me-ouch. We'll probably have to wait until the Razzies for our Jellicle Ball, but nonetheless, this year was all about the Brits. British stars — including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sam Mendes, and Taron Egerton — won big, putting Netflix to shame. According to the New York Times, poor Netflix was humiliated with a paltry two wins compared to their 34 nominations. But alas, they are still not Cats.

This year's ceremony had a rather raw approach to award shows, which was kind of refreshing compared to the staunch uptightness of the Oscars, but also kind of exhausting if you're sick of host Ricky Gervais' schtick. He certainly lived up to his reputation as a provocateur and doled out so many jabs that Slate ranked them in order of meanness. Joaquin Phoenix, who won best actor in a motion picture drama for his role in Joker, also jumped in on the unfiltered fun with a bleeped-out, profanity-filled acceptance speech. Awkwafina was crowned the first-ever Asian-American best actress. Boundaries were indeed broken.

If all of that happened on-screen, just imagine what was going on when the cameras weren't rolling. The 2020 Golden Globes was an unfiltered, sustainably-sourced good time.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) kicked off meatless Monday early by ditching the standard steak and chicken fare and opting for an all-vegan menu. According to The Hollywood Reporter, executive chef Matthew Morgan served up an appetizer of chilled golden beet soup with a main course of king oyster mushroom (crafted to look just like an entree of scallops), wild mushroom risotto, and veggies. Dessert was a plant-based take on an opera cake.

Though fish was included on the original menu, it's thought that the Golden Globes were the first major award show to go all vegan. Climate change and sustainability were reportedly driving factors behind the last-minute menu swap. "We don't think we'll change the world with one meal, but we decided to take small steps to bring awareness. The food we eat, the way it is processed and grown and disposed of, all of that contributes to the climate crisis," HFPA President Lorenzo Soria told The Hollywood Reporter.

Stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo praised the plant-based menu, but it reportedly outraged Big Meat, which was long struggled to revamp its image after a UN report revealed that the livestock industry is responsible for a significant portion of human-related greenhouse gas emissions. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association told Bloomberg, "While the intent is good, the impact is likely to be minimal." At the time of this writing, it's unclear if Tiffany Haddish snuck in her own fried chicken.

Last year's biggest Golden Globes winner was the Fiji water girl. You might remember when the model, whose real name is Kelly Steinbach, went viral for photobombing celebs on the red carpet while serving up plastic bottles of crisp, hydrating H2O. Eventually there was some minor controversy, and per The Hollywood Reporter, Steinbach ended up suing the artisanal water brand over a cardboard cutout. It was a wild ride, but this year we don't know her.

According to TMZ, there was no Fiji girl in sight at the 2020 Golden Globes because the HFPA went with a new sponsor after their two-year deal with Fiji ended. Instead, they partnered with Icelandic Glacial, a sustainably-sourced alkaline water, in an effort to minimize their environmental impact. According to the Associated Press, the brand's glass bottles cut down on single-use plastic, and the company also boasts "immense pride in running a completely sustainable operation fueled entirely by geothermal and hydroelectric power." 

Unfortunately, not everything at the Golden Globes can be carbon neutral. The award show's floral arrangements, which Variety says consist of 10,000 golden buds, were flown in from Ecuador and probably needed some serious refrigeration. According to HuffPost, fresh cut flowers aren't usually the greatest for the environment, but they sure are pretty to look at. Baby steps! Progress is still progress.

No, you didn't miss it. Taylor Swift and her British actor beau Joe Alwyn didn't hit the red carpet together at the Golden Globes, but are you really surprised? According to Elle, the pair have never posed together at an award show even if they've both attended the BAFTAs, Oscars, and Golden Globes in the past and were spotted holding hands at the Cats New York premiere in December 2019. Swift even reportedly spent the holidays across the pond, and we've got nary a photo!

At the 2020 award show, Los Angeles Times Hollywood reporter Amy Kaufman spotted Swifty and her lover discreetly arriving through the back door along with security guards and a guy who was carrying her dress' train. Yes, Swift's floral Etro dress had its own personal assistant. As soon as they were inside, the couple "split off separately" and went straight to the bar before exiting through a side door to presumably take their individual red carpet photos. Babes, don't threaten them with a good time! Honestly, Swift deserves to celebrate her nomination for best original song with a stiff drink.

Though the pair split off for the red carpet, they did ultimately sit together. The pop queen knows how to avoid a media spectacle. Thankfully, this time, she didn't have to allegedly hide in a suitcase to keep her relationship under wraps (though, we wouldn't mind a Lady Gaga egg moment).

Seating charts are the quickest route to a complete degradation of sanity. They've been known drive wedges between soon to be married couples and mother-of-the-brides. They've been known to cause whispers among work colleagues and single friends who are sequestered to random tables. Are we going out on a limb to say that somewhere, somehow, they've probably caused at least one wedding cancellation?

You'd think the Golden Globes would have seating charts down to a science considering they have to make them every year, but Hollywood is a world of egos — much like a wedding party — and it's apparently not so easy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix caused conflict in 2020 because some major players in film were ousted to the cheap seats in favor of TV nominees.

Meher Tatna, the HFPA's former president, is responsible for making the seating chart for the 1,300 capacity room in the Beverly Hills Hilton. Typically, film stars and major studio execs are seated in an area called "the pit" that's designed to be spotted by TV cameras during the broadcast. In recent years, this hasn't been the case. "... It was mainly the film nominees that sat in the pit. But Netflix has 34 nominations this year — so you're seeing a lot of TV tables in the pit," Tatna told THR, adding, "I feel sorry for [the publicists] ... But we do bend over backwards to make everyone happy."

It makes sense that Golden Globe nominees generally attend the show where they could potentially win said award. After all, Netflix wouldn't be battling with film execs over the good seats if people didn't want to come in the first place. Sometimes, though, life gets in the way. This year both Russell Crowe, who won best actor in a limited series for his portrayal of Roger Ailes in Showtime's The Loudest Voices, and Christian Bale, who was nominated for Ford v Ferrari, missed the ceremony.

Crowe beat out Chernobyl actor Jared Harris, but was stuck in Australia amidst the devastating wildfires because he couldn't catch a flight, according to Deadline. The BBC reports that the fires have already claimed the lives of nearly 500 million animals, and per Variety, the actor's property was "gravely threatened." Since Crowe couldn't accept his award in person, Jennifer Aniston read a statement from the actor on his behalf.

"Make no mistake, the tragedy unfolding in Australia is climate change based. We need to act based on science, move our global workforce to renewable energy, and respect our planet for the unique and amazing place it is. That way we have all a future. Thank you," she said (via Deadline).

According to Variety, Bale's absence was far less dramatic. He reportedly caught the flu overseas and was advised not to fly back to Los Angeles.

Here's one for everyone hoping newly confirmed BFFs Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were just taking a decades-spanning break. The pair, who were both nominated, did absolutely nothing to stave off the dating rumors that have been kicking around the tabloids since their respective divorces. In fact, Pitt gave us confirmation that he was actually happy to see his ex.

"I'll run into Jen, she's a good friend," Pitt told Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet. "The second most important reunion of her year? I understand! That was a play on Friends. They were saying that." 

According to USA Today, Pitt and Aniston arrived to the award show 20 minutes apart, which is long enough to believe it's a coincidence but not long enough to convince us they're not going to a rumored, private after-party together. Things got even more interesting during the live broadcast when Aniston was spotted laughing at Pitt's acceptance speech joke. The star, who won the award for best supporting actor in a motion picture for his role in Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood. "I wanted to bring my mom but I couldn't, because anyone I stand next to, they say I'm dating. And that would just be awkward," he said. Of course, they cut right to Aniston, who cracked up. Girl! Someone consult Ross Gellar, TV's resident arbiter of breaks, because it looks like this couple is due for a reboot.

Before the 2020 Golden Globes, Rita Wilson almost had a makeup and hair emergency straight out of a Hollywood nightmare. Seriously, she's probably suffering from Lipstick Traumatic Stress Syndrome as we speak. What do you do when your makeup artist-slash-hair stylist goes missing right before you have to hit the red carpet?

In a series of tweets, Wilson lamented that her hair and makeup person was an hour and 20 minutes late, which is a big deal when you're running on an award show schedule. About 10 minutes later, she was still "trying to be zen" as her stylist was nowhere to be found (is that even possible?). Wilson then posted a photo on Instagram saying she only had "one hour" to get it all done, which is enough to send anyone into a panic. Nonetheless, it looks like it all worked out in the end.

Wilson ended up stunning on the red carpet next to her children and husband Tom Hanks, who was nominated for his performance in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and received a lifetime achievement award. After Hanks' acceptance speech, we're hoping her beauty team didn't forget the waterproof mascara.

Kristin Cavallari looked ultra-happy at the 2020 Golden Globes, and it's not because she decided to eschew The Hills: New Beginnings (though she's probably enjoying a life where she's not cast as the villain, even if the reboot did get renewed for a second season). The Golden Globes marked the reality star's birthday, and Cavallari rang in her 33rd year while glamming up for the red carpet.

According to People, who managed to capture Cavallari's Instagram story, the star's team surprised her with a birthday treat while she was getting ready. Honestly, it's hard to tell exactly what it is, but it looks like a latte with a candle it. That's probably physically impossible, so we're thinking it may be some sort of room service mousse or mug-based microwave cake. Either way, yum. 

The Very Cavallari star finished out her pre-show glam routine with a little haircut, then hit the red carpet solo. Was her husband, ex-NFL quarterback Jay Cutler, too busy watching the Eagles lose?

Beyonce and Jay-Z were always going to be the MVPs of the 2020 Golden Globes. Not only did they reportedly show up fashionably late and take their seats after the award show already started, but according to E! News, the Carters brought their own champagne. It turns out a billion dollars in an elevator does not drink Moet, and when you're the kind of people that can rent out the Louvre, you can pretty much do anything.

According to Variety, Moet & Chandon was the official champagne of the award show. It's the same as it's been for more than 25 years. The tables were stacked with magnum bottles of Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2009 and Moet Rose Imperial, but Bey and Jay reportedly brought their own bottle of Armand de Brignac, and people were going apesh–. According to E! News, "everyone was flocking" to the Carters' table and the rap mogul was spotted doling out glasses. Jay even gave Portia De Rossi, who posed for a photo, a taste of his champagne.

The Carters attended the event because Beyonce's track "Spirit" from Disney's The Lion King was in the running for best original song in a motion picture. Though she didn't end up winning, does she actually need to? She's Bey! Must we remind everyone who run the world?

Phoebe Waller-Bridge's infectious Fleabag ended up winning big. Waller-Bridge took home the award for best performance by an actress in a television series, while her Amazon series took home the top prize for TV musical or comedy. Let's just hope Andrew Scott's allergies didn't get in the way of their celebration. Does anyone have a Benadryl?

Scott, who is affectionately known as "Hot Priest," was nominated for his Fleabag role and made an appearance at Vanity Fair's Golden Globes party where he owned up to having jet lag and some pretty serious allergies. Los Angeles weather is no match for an Irish native. "Sometimes these things can be quite overwhelming, so I'm just gonna make sure I have a really good time," he told Vanity Fair. "That's genuinely my plan. I hope that my allergies don't flare up like they did today. I look like something out of Aliens!"

Hot Priest would probably still be hot even if he's cosplaying as a xenomorph. It's all about the attitude. Meanwhile, Waller-Bridge — who previously made us believe we could pull off jumpsuits — was also making us feel some kind of way about tweed pant suits.