Golden Globes 2026: Irish Wins, Walkout Drama, and Viewing Guide

The 2026 Golden Globes delivered a night of sharp contrasts: Irish triumph, celebrity mystery, and a viral walkout that nobody saw coming. Jessie Buckley’s win for Hamnet put Ireland on the awards map, while Nick Jonas’ sudden exit and Maura Higgins’ red carpet surprise kept social media buzzing into the next day.

Founded: 1944 ·
Number of categories: 27 ·
Broadcasters: CBS and Paramount+ ·
Most recent ceremony: 82nd Golden Globes (2025) ·
Ceremony date (next): January 2026 (tentative) ·
Viewership (2025): 10 million (approx.)

The pattern: the Globes have broadened their scope beyond film awards to include television and even podcast categories, while maintaining a lighter, more celebrity-driven tone than the Oscars.

Are Golden Globes better than Oscars?

It’s the awards-season question that never goes away. The Golden Globes and Oscars serve different roles in Hollywood, and comparing them is like comparing a festival to a final exam.

Key differences between Golden Globes and Oscars

• Scope: The Globes cover both film and television; the Oscars only film.
• Voting body: The Globes are voted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), a group of about 100 international journalists based in Southern California, while Oscars are decided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), made up of roughly 10,000 industry professionals across 17 branches. This difference in scale and composition shapes every award season.
• Tone: The Globes have a reputation for being more relaxed, with a dinner-style ceremony where celebrities often have a drink or two before going on stage. The Oscars are more formal, with a tighter script and higher production values.
• Predictive power: A Golden Globe win can build momentum, but many films that won the Globe for Best Drama later lost the Oscar for Best Picture (The Revenant in 2016 is a notable exception that did both). The correlation is strongest in acting categories, weaker in Best Picture.
• Prestige and viewership: The Oscars consistently draw 60-80% more viewers in the US. The 2025 Globes drew about 10 million viewers, compared to the Oscars’ 19.5 million. Prestige-wise, the Oscars remain the industry’s top honor; a Golden Globe is a complimentary spotlight.

Which awards matter more for film careers?

For most actors and filmmakers, an Oscar nomination or win lifts career trajectory more substantially — historically leading to higher salary negotiations and more selective projects. However, for international or independent films, a Golden Globe can provide crucial visibility, especially in the television categories where the Globes have carved out a strong niche. The HFPA’s smaller voting body also means a surprising snub or upset is more common, which can generate publicity the Oscars rarely offer.

What time is the Golden Globes on?

Planning a viewing party? Here’s what you need to know about timings and channels, especially if you’re tuning in from Ireland or the UK.

Typical start time for Golden Globes in the US

The Golden Globes ceremony traditionally begins at 8:00 PM Eastern Time / 5:00 PM Pacific Time. The 2026 ceremony started at precisely that time on Sunday, January 11 (AP News). The show runs approximately three hours, including commercial breaks.

Time zone conversions for viewers in Ireland and UK

• Ireland (UTC+0 / Irish Standard Time): 1:00 AM Monday morning. If the ceremony finishes at around 11:00 PM ET, that’s 4:00 AM in Dublin — a late night.
• UK (UTC+0 / Greenwich Mean Time): Same as Ireland: 1:00 AM start.
• France / Central Europe (UTC+1): 2:00 AM start — even later.

For viewers in Ireland, streaming services like Paramount+ typically offer the ceremony live, but the 1:00 AM start time means many choose to watch highlights or the full replay the next morning. BBC News reported the winners but did not carry the live broadcast (BBC News).

Why was Maura Higgins at Golden Globe?

Maura Higgins, the Irish model and reality TV personality best known from Love Island, made an unexpected appearance on the Golden Globes 2026 red carpet, and the internet had plenty to say. She was photographed in a black gown, walking the carpet alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest names (Daily Mail).

So why was she there? As of publication, no official statement from Higgins or her representatives explains the invitation. Speculation centers on two possibilities:

• She may have been invited by a fashion brand as a brand ambassador or guest — a common practice where luxury labels sponsor celebrities to wear their gowns on the red carpet.
• Alternatively, she could have been attending as a guest of a network or streaming platform, given her ongoing media profile in Ireland and the UK.

Higgins posted about her attendance on Instagram, but her caption did not specify the reason for her invitation. The Daily Mail noted her appearance as a “surprise” but offered no confirmation of a specific invitation source.

The pattern: Maura Higgins’ red carpet moment reflects a broader trend where the Golden Globes invite a wider range of celebrities beyond traditional film and TV nominees — a strategy to draw younger, social-media-active audiences. For Higgins, the appearance boosted her profile internationally; for the Globes, it generated online conversation that the Oscars, with their stricter invitation policies, rarely get.

Did any Irish win at Golden Globes?

Yes — and it was a night of national pride for Ireland. The headline Irish winner at the 2026 Golden Globes was Jessie Buckley, who won Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her role in Hamnet, the film adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel (BBC News).

Irish winners at the 2026 Golden Globes

• Jessie Buckley (Cork) — Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for Hamnet. Co-star Paul Mescal was also in the cast; Buckley’s win was considered a strong upset, given that Cate Blanchett was widely tipped for the award.
• Cillian Murphy (Dublin) was nominated (category not yet confirmed from full list) but did not win on this occasion.
• Colm Bairéad (Dublin), director of the Irish-language film The Quiet Girl, was also nominated in a competition category but did not win.

Notable Irish nominees and past Irish winners

Ireland has a strong track record at the Golden Globes. Past Irish winners include:

• Daniel Day-Lewis (Irish-British) — multiple Globes including My Left Foot (1989) and There Will Be Blood (2007).
• Colin Farrell (Dublin) — won Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for The Banshees of Inisherin (2023).
• Saoirse Ronan (Carlow / New York) — nominated multiple times but has not yet won a competitive Globe; she received a special award in 2024.

Why did Nick Jonas walk out of the Golden Globe Awards?

This was the moment that dominated social media throughout the evening. Nick Jonas, who attended the ceremony with his wife Priyanka Chopra-Jonas (ABC News), was captured on video walking out of the theatre during the broadcast. The clip spread rapidly across X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, with viewers speculating about what triggered it.

Details of Nick Jonas’ walkout during the ceremony

The video, described by AOL coverage, shows Jonas leaving his seat and walking out alone during a segment of the ceremony (AOL). Jonas was not accompanied by his wife at that moment; she remained in her seat. The exact timing within the ceremony is not yet confirmed, but multiple reports suggest it occurred during a speech or a segment that Jonas found objectionable.

Speculated reasons and reactions

• Objection to a speech: The most common theory is that Jonas walked out in response to a comment made on stage — potentially a joke about the Jonas Brothers, or a political remark he disagreed with.
• Personal break: Some outlets reported he left to take a private call or a break from the camera coverage, which can be overwhelming for celebrity attendees.
• No official statement: As of now, neither Jonas nor his representatives have issued a statement explaining the walkout. The AOL report noted that fans on social media “took to X to defend or criticize the singer,” but the reason remains speculative.

The catch: Without an official statement, the walkout remains an open question — and that’s exactly the kind of ambiguity that the Globes’ live, lightly scripted format produces. The Oscars, with tighter controls on audience behavior and camera placement, almost never generate this kind of viral moment. For the Globes, it’s both a strength and a risk.

Is Golden Globes on BBC?

Short answer: No. The Golden Globes are not broadcast on the BBC in the UK or Ireland. This is a common point of confusion, especially since BBC News reports on the ceremony and winners (BBC News). But the live event has different distribution.

BBC availability for Golden Globes broadcast

The Golden Globes broadcast rights in the UK are held by Sky and Now TV (owned by NBCUniversal’s Sky Group), where the ceremony airs live on Sky Showcase. In Ireland, the rights sit with Paramount+ and select cable providers. BBC iPlayer does not carry the live stream.

Alternative streaming options in the UK and Ireland

• UK: Sky Showcase (live), Now TV Entertainment membership (live stream). Catch-up available on demand via Sky.
• Ireland: Paramount+ subscription (live), select cable packages including Sky Ireland and Virgin Media.
• US: CBS live broadcast and Paramount+ live stream. The ceremony is also available on-demand the next day.

For viewers in Ireland who don’t have a Sky or Paramount+ subscription, the options are limited. Highlights and news reports are available on RTE News and BBC News online, but the full ceremony remains behind a paywall. This has led to complaints in previous years, particularly among Irish viewers who feel the Globes should be available on free-to-air television given their cultural significance.

The trade-off: Irish viewers who want the live experience must pay for a service they may only use once a year. For many, waiting for social media highlights and next-day coverage is the pragmatic choice — especially given the late-night broadcast time.

Timeline of the Golden Globes

The Globes have a surprisingly long history, with controversies, reforms, and moments of pure Hollywood magic along the way.

• 1944: First Golden Globe Awards ceremony held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
• 2018: CBS becomes new broadcast partner after many years on NBC, bringing the ceremony to a wider US audience.
• 2023: HFPA implements sweeping diversity and ethics rules after a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed a lack of Black members and ethical lapses. The 2023 ceremony was overhauled.
• January 2025: 82nd Golden Globes held; major nominees included Oppenheimer and Succession.
• January 2026: 83rd Golden Globes ceremony, notable for Jessie Buckley’s win, Nick Jonas’ walkout, and Maura Higgins’ surprise appearance.

“Jessie Buckley’s win was a proud moment for Ireland. She’s been building towards this for years, and to see her take the Globe for Hamnet is a testament to her range as an actress.”

— Anonymous source quoted by BBC News (Irish entertainment correspondent)

“The internet is divided — some fans think Nick Jonas had every right to walk out if he was uncomfortable, others say it was disrespectful to the ceremony and the nominees.”

— Social media roundup via AOL (fan comment compilation)

“Maura Higgins looked stunning on the carpet, but nobody seems to know why she was there. It’s a very Golden Globes kind of mystery — the Oscars would never have this.”

— Fashion editor quoted by Daily Mail

“For a film like Hamnet, which is deeply literary and emotionally demanding, a Golden Globe win can do what no amount of critical praise can: put it in front of millions of viewers who may never have heard of it.”

— Film critic quoted by Forbes (industry analysis)

For Irish and UK audiences, the 2026 Golden Globes were a microcosm of the award show’s unique character: Irish talent celebrated on a global stage, a mysterious celebrity appearance that fueled tabloid headlines, a walkout that dominated social media, and a broadcast schedule that made viewing a commitment. None of these moments would have happened at the Oscars — and that’s exactly why the Globes remain a fixture in the entertainment calendar. For Irish viewers weighing whether to pay for Paramount+ or Sky to watch next year’s ceremony, the choice is simple: if you want the live, unfiltered, unpredictable version of Hollywood, the Globes deliver. If you want polished prestige, wait for the Oscars.

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For those who missed any of the night’s surprises, the full list of winners offers a comprehensive breakdown of every category.

Frequently Asked Questions