Everything you need to know about the 2026 Golden Globes

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Amid seismic developments in Hollywood – the takeover battle for Warner Bros Discovery and YouTube securing the rights to stream the Oscars from 2029 – the Golden Globes will be a chance to get back to what really matters during awards season.

Leading contenders at the Golden Globes, clockwise from centre, The White Lotus, One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme, Adolescence and Sentimental Value.

Watching the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande and George Clooney all dressed up. Seeing whether the host can live up to the standard of Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in years past. And hoping for a stirring speech that captures the moment. Or, failing that, a spectacular meltdown.

According to one studio veteran, “rumours about secret rewards and travels have vanished” under the Globes’ still relatively new management of Penske Media Eldridge, legitimising them more as Hollywood’s second-ranked awards after the Oscars.

The encouraging news is that it’s a strong year for film and TV.

When are they happening?

The 83rd Globes take place on Sunday night in Los Angeles – Monday in Australia from noon AEST.

Who’s hosting?

Comedian Nikki Glaser is hosting for the second consecutive year after the disaster of Jo Koy three years ago. Glaser may not be as memorable as Gervais, Fey or Poehler, but she promises to be sharp and funny based on last year, when she called the awards “Ozempic’s biggest night” and joked that the assembled stars could do anything “except tell the country who to vote for”.

Expect her writers to have worked up gags about Venezuela and Greenland, though ICE as a topic might be white-hot.

Australian actors Sarah Snook, Rose Byrne, Jacob Elordi and Joel Edgerton have been nominated for a Golden Globe.

Who’s presenting?

Clooney and Roberts (nominated for Jay Kelly and After The Hunt respectively) are the biggest Hollywood stars presenting. They will be joined by Amanda Seyfried (nominated for The Testament of Ann Lee), Macaulay Culkin, Orlando Bloom, Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Garner, Kevin Hart, Pamela Anderson, Chris Pine – take a deep breath, it’s a long list – Jason Bateman, Judd Apatow, Melissa McCarthy, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Zoe Kravitz and Snoop Dogg.

It’s not just the old guard. Young talents are led by Miley Cyrus (nominated for an Avatar: Fire and Ash song), Ayo Edebiri (nominated for The Bear), Dakota Fanning, Charli XCX, Hailee Steinfeld, K-pop’s Lalisa Manobal and Joe Keery.

There are two new faces who were unknowns two months ago: Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie from ice hockey romance Heated Rivalries.

What’s new?

Stars will climb a grand staircase on arrival as part of what The Hollywood Reporter calls “the Met Gala-ification” of a night long known as Hollywood’s biggest party.

And there is a new award for best podcasting, with the nominees including Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Call Her Daddy and SmartLess. They join awards for box office achievement and best stand-up comedian on TV, added two years ago.

Rose Byrne is nominated for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy for her outstanding performance as a struggling psychotherapist in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.

Who are the Australians in contention?

Jacob Elordi has two nominations, for his supporting role in the film Frankenstein and lead role in the limited series The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Sarah Snook is nominated for her lead role in the limited series All Her Fault, and Rose Byrne for her lead role a film – musical/comedy – for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.

Australia also has two nominations for film – drama for Train Dreams: Joel Edgerton for his lead role and Nick Cave for best original song.

There are excellent chances that Byrne, Edgerton and Elordi will get breakthrough Oscar nominations in less than a fortnight so their Globes hopes are strong.

Byrne surely has to win for her exceptional performance as a struggling psychotherapist. Edgerton, who played an itinerant logger and railroad labourer, and Elordi, who was Frankenstein’s creature, are fair chances, though Chalamet (Marty Supreme) and Stellan Skarsgard (Sentimental Value) must be the respective frontrunners.

Snook was outstanding but is likely to be pipped by Michelle Williams (Dying for Sex). Sadly, Cave’s song Train Dreams appears to have little hope against Golden from K-Pop Demon Hunters.

Who’ll be the big winners?

One Battle After Another leads the film nominations with nine, followed by Sentimental Value with eight, Sinners with seven, Hamnet with six and Frankenstein and Wicked: For Good with five each.

Favoured to win best film comedy/musical is One Battle, edging out Marty Supreme. Sinners is expected to claim best film drama, though Hamnet and Sentimental Value are just as deserving.

In TV, The White Lotus leads with six nominations. Adolescence has five and Only Murders in the Building and Severance four each.

As a reward for creative ingenuity, two urgent dramas that take place in real time, The Pitt and Adolescence, should win best series and limited series.

Jacob Elordi as the creature in Frankenstein.

Are they a pointer to who’ll win at the Oscars?

Markedly different voting consistencies and Globes’ division into two categories of film – drama and music/comedy – mean they are not a reliable indicator of what will happen at the Oscars.

But it will be a chance for a film or an actor to build awards season momentum.

What’s always interesting to watch is whose Globes acceptance speech is carefully calibrated to win over Oscar voters. No doubt heartfelt, such a strategy has worked for Michelle Yeoh and Demi Moore in recent years.

Sometimes the Globes is a journey rather than a destination.