BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF. — Glen Powell, Ariana Grande, Adrien Brody, Zoe Saldaña and Margaret Qualley might have thought they had a big night due to their respective Golden Globe nominations, but it was really their parents who won big Sunday night.
Each nominee boasted their proud parents as dates to the glitzy event, which officially kicked off Hollywood’s award season with PDA from the somehow yet-to-be social media official Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner; emotional speeches from first-time winners Saldaña, Demi Moore and “Emilia Pérez” star Karla Sofía Gascón; and rumblings about a dazzling ring adorning a certain finger on Zendaya‘s hand. (Rest assured USA TODAY has reached out to the appropriate representatives for more info on that.)
USA TODAY was on the ground at the 2025 Golden Globes from the opening of the red carpet to the studios’ after parties clearing out, and these were the top celeb moments that we caught while the cameras weren’t rolling.
Adrien Brody keeps his parents close as he learns of ‘The Brutalist’ win
As “The Brutalist” was poised to win its third and final trophy of the night, leading man Adrian Brody was in good company while he awaited the results for the final prize of the night.
It was minutes after he’d emotionally thanked his parents during his acceptance speech best actor in a drama, and Brody, standing in a walkway with his parents, clutched his mom’s hand while Nicolas Cage read out the best drama nominees. When the 3½-hour A24 epic was announced, he embraced his dad and sauntered right back on stage to collect his prize.
‘The Penguin’ winner Colin Farrell honors ‘Batman’ villains Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix
Fresh off his third-ever Golden Globe win for his his role as Oswald “Oz” Cobb in “The Penguin,” Colin Farrell honored some of the other greats to play “Batman” franchise villains.
Speaking with reporters following his best actor in a limited series win, he praised the work of the late Heath Ledger in the 2008 “The Dark Knight,” as well as “The Joker” star Joaquin Phoenix. “To just utter my name in the same sentence as those performances — honestly, it’s lovely, but I’m still approaching it all more from just a fan of it all. Really, I don’t feel like I’m part of that pantheon,” Farrell said.
He also touched on his near-perfect record for the best actor award at the Globes, joking, “One would think there’s been a fix.” He deadpanned: “There’s one person who knows: Who saw the check.”
Glen Powell snags celebrity photo opps for his parents
Powell might have lost in his award category (best actor in a comedy or musical film), but the action star’s parents were the winners of the night. After the three-hour ceremony wrapped at the Beverly Hilton, the Texas-based family hit the party circuit and stopped at Universal Filmed Entertainment Group’s after party at Lavo on the Sunset Strip more than two hours after the show concluded.
A gum chewing Powell laughed and smiled as an event photographer snapped away at “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” star Catherine O’Hara and his mom, Cyndy Powell. O’Hara, who’d been holding court while seated at a bench near the entrance with her husband Bo Welch, gave Cyndy a big hug and did the same for Powell.
The fun didn’t end there, as Welch photo bombed while the Powells posed for the professional photographer 10 minutes later, with Welch popping his head behind Powell’s parents’ shoulders, to O’Hara’s laughter.
Adam Brody, Kathryn Hahn go to town on the unlimited sushi bar
The Globes has a rap in this town for being the booziest major award show of the year. But while the open bar certainly sported a line several people deep most of the night, the surrounding gastronomic offerings were just as attractive for stars who likely hadn’t had a bite to each in several hours.
Throughout the show, a steady stream of dedicated A-listers made the trek from their stage-side tables to a magical room of seemingly unlimited food and drink on the opposite side of the ballroom and nourished themselves with nigiri sushi (tuna, salmon and red snapper) and sashimi (yellowtail with jalapeño) from the industry-favorite Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa.
Among the notables who expertly balanced a small disposable plate in one hand and used chopsticks to pluck the raw fish foods with the other hand were “Agatha All Along” leading lady Kathryn Hahn and “Nobody Wants This” rom-com star Adam Brody.
Meanwhile, “Abbott Elementary” cast members Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams and Chris Perfetti got a hall pass during the ceremony and spent a decent amount of time enjoying bite-sized desserts.
‘Succession’ brothers Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin prove there’s no bad blood in best supporting actor fight
On-screen siblings Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin might have been in competition with each other in the best supporting actor (film) category, but their interaction during a commercial break proved there was no bad blood between the “Succession” alumni.
Culkin, who took home the trophy for his role in the Jesse Eisenberg-directed “A Real Pain,” and Strong shared a quick conversation and a congratulatory hug in an unaired moment backstage. Culkin’s wife, Jazz Charton, and Strong’s wife, Emma Wall, also hugged soon after.
Benny Blanco joins Selena Gomez backstage
The newly engaged Benny Blanco and Selena Gomez had their cute moments on camera during the ceremony, and the adoration also made its way backstage.
As the “Emilia Pérez” cast answered reporters’ questions backstage, Blanco sat among the journalists and as his soon-to-be-wife, co-star Gascón and director Jacques Audiard basked in the light of their wins for best comedy or musical and best non-English language film. (With Saldaña also taking home best supporting actress for the film.)
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo hold space and hands backstage
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are tightly bonded both in front of and behind the cameras.
While “Wicked” producer Marc Platt mused about the impact of the musical blockbuster with backstage journalists, the two leading ladies held hands while “holding space” for Platt’s sentimental words.
“When I was kid, I’d watch ‘The Wizard of Oz’ every year with my family. We’d gather around the TV, and there was something timeless about it,” Platt said. “That is probably the reason why (‘Wicked’) has become a phenomenon.”