The Best and Worst Moments of the 2021 Golden Globe Awards

In an interesting gambit (of the non-queen variety), the Golden Globes decided to beam in its hosts—Tina Fey and Amy Poehler—from opposite coasts, with Fey presenting at the Beverly Hilton and Poehler at the Rainbow Room in Manhattan. The decision was likely informed by a desire to reflect the fractured nature of the year, as well as to nab both L.A. and N.Y.-based celebrities to present awards. But when it came to the monologue as well as Fey and Poehler’s subsequent bits, the ploy felt like a self-inflicted mistake. In past years, Fey and Poehler have excelled at hosting the Globes precisely because of the way they supported and enabled each other while shoulder to shoulder, giggling as if they were the only ones in the room or throwing back high fives. And while they tried to make it work, their chemistry and timing were noticeably off. With limited audiences to absorb their jokes, Poehler and Fey rushed through punchlines, sometimes inadvertently stepping on each other. With their celebrity targets not in the room, some of their industry-specific barbs fell flat, receiving only uncomfortable chuckles from the first responders in the crowd.(Fey did sneak in a sick burn of the HFPA, however: “The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is made up of around 90 international no-black journalists who attend movie junkets each year in search of a better life.“) While Poehler and Fey are two of the funniest comedians in America, this monologue probably won’t be going on their highlight reels.