The sexual misconduct allegations roiling Hollywood dominated the first hour of the Golden Globes on Sunday, with host Seth Meyers taking aim at scandal-tainted men and early prizes going to actresses who played strong, empowered women.
“Good evening, ladies and remaining gentlemen,” Meyers said at the start of his monologue, referring to the dozens of men — producers, actors, directors — felled by allegations of harassment and assault.
“It’s 2018,” Meyers added. “Marijuana is finally allowed and sexual harassment finally isn’t.”
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A handful of early awards were handed out to movie and television actresses who earned raves for their turns as tough-minded women breaking free from men.
Nicole Kidman won for her acclaimed performance as a survivor of domestic abuse on “Big Little Lies.” Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) and Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) were awarded statues for their roles in feminist-themed TV series.
Kidman, who previously won an Emmy for “Big Little Lies,” raised her Globe in the air and dedicated it to the “power of women.”
The social media movement known as #MeToo cast a long shadow over the ceremony, the first major awards show since explosive allegations and revelations rocked the entertainment industry. In a nod to the high stakes surrounding his hosting stint, Meyers joked: “There’s a new era underway, and I can tell because it’s been years since a white man was this nervous in Hollywood.”
Meyers, the host of NBC’s “Late Night,” pulled no punches when it came to the accused, mocking former “House of Cards” star Kevin Spacey and once-powerful mogul Harvey Weinstein. Twenty years from now, Meyers said, Weinstein will be the “first person ever booed during the In Memorium” segment.
The red carpet was a sea of black gowns, a symbolic statement of solidarity with victims of sexual misconduct. Several actresses wore pins that read “Time’s Up” — the name of a new coalition to fight sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood and other industries.
And some stars strolled down the carpet with leading activists at their sides.
Michelle Williams, nominated for her performance in the thriller “All the Money in the World,” was accompanied by Tarana Burke, the founder of #MeToo.
“I’m so much more interested in what you have to say than what I have to say,” Williams told the Associated Press, referring to Burke.
The fight for gender equality was quickly emerging as one of the dominant themes of the night. Debra Messing, the co-star of NBC’s “Will and Grace,” called out the E! network for pay disparities — while she was being interviewed by an E! personality.
“I was so shocked to hear that E! doesn’t believe in paying their female co-hosts the same as their male co-hosts,” Messing told Giuliana Rancic on the red carpet.
Related: How will the show handle #MeToo, #TimesUp?
Catt Sadler, a former E! News co-host, walked away from her job after learning that her male co-host was being paid almost double her salary.
As for the awards themselves, top prognosticators say the race is wide-open.
“It is anyone’s game,” Tom O’Neill, editor of the awards prediction website Gold Derby, said in a phone interview this week.
O’Neil said he would put his money on best picture honors going to “The Post,” the topical Pentagon Papers drama directed by Steven Spielberg, and “Lady Bird,” the sweet coming-of-age comedy from Greta Gerwig.
Other top contenders in the movie categories include “The Shape of Water,” a stylized fantasy about the romance between a mute woman and a mutant fish-man, and “Get Out,” the smash-hit satirical horror movie.