Golden Globes 2026 go quiet on President Trump but Hollywood still sends a loud political message
The 2026 Golden Globe Awards avoided directly mentioning President Donald Trump onstage, but political tension still shaped the night. Host Nikki Glaser stuck to her promise to leave Trump’s name out of her monologue, opting instead for sharp satire aimed at government institutions and media. However, offstage and on the red carpet, politics took center stage as celebrities including Mark Ruffalo and Wanda Sykes wore “BE GOOD” and “ICE OUT” pins to protest the death of Renee Good and criticize immigration enforcement. While the broadcast leaned toward caution, the symbolism, jokes and outspoken remarks revealed Hollywood’s continued resistance and unease in a deeply polarized political climate.
The 2026 Golden Globe Awards largely avoided direct references to President Donald Trump, a notable choice at a ceremony long known for its political undercurrents. But while Trump’s name went unspoken from the stage, politics still hovered over the night in subtler and sometimes sharper ways.
Host Nikki Glaser had made her intentions clear ahead of Sunday’s ceremony. Speaking to Reuters, the comedian said she would not mention Trump during her monologue, adding bluntly, “I don’t think he should even watch.” True to her word, Glaser never invoked the president by name during the broadcast.
That restraint came at a sensitive moment. Less than a week earlier, the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis had reignited national debate over immigration enforcement and police accountability. Against that backdrop, the Golden Globes appeared eager to avoid becoming a flashpoint in America’s deep political divides — particularly given the ceremony’s broadcast on CBS.
The network itself has faced scrutiny over its relationship with Trump. Paramount, CBS’ parent company, paid $16 million last year to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. More recently, CBS News has drawn criticism over leadership changes and editorial decisions under new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, further complicating the optics of a politically charged broadcast.
Still, Glaser found ways to comment without naming names. In one of the night’s most pointed jokes, she mocked the heavily redacted release of documents related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. “There’s so many A-listers here tonight,” she said. “And by A-listers, I mean people who are on ‘a list’ that has been heavily redacted.” She later quipped that the Golden Globe for best editing should go to the Justice Department — before taking a swipe at CBS News itself as “America’s newest place to see BS news.”
Politics also surfaced through omission. The Golden Globe Foundation’s inaugural podcast award notably bypassed political shows, instead honoring Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang,” signaling a preference for lighter cultural fare over partisan commentary.
Offstage, however, restraint gave way to confrontation. Actor Mark Ruffalo and comedian Wanda Sykes wore protest pins reading “BE GOOD” and “ICE OUT” on the red carpet, referencing Good’s death. Ruffalo delivered the evening’s most incendiary remarks, denouncing Trump as immoral and accusing him of disregarding international law, particularly in relation to the U.S. military action in Venezuela.
While the Golden Globes may have largely insulated their stage from overt political debate, the red carpet and subtext told a different story. In an era where silence itself can be read as a statement, the ceremony struck a careful if imperfect balance between entertainment, caution and dissent.