Perhaps because it’s been quite some time since Julia Roberts has been nominated for an award and shown up to a ceremony that her presence was so felt at this year’s Golden Globes. And, although she’s attended this particular award show probably far more than any other major one (mainly because the Hollywood Foreign Press has been the most generous with nominating her), 2026 marked the first time since 2014 that Roberts was actually nominated for a performance in a film in lieu of a TV series. Specifically, she was nominated for Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama, Musical or Comedy for 2013’s August: Osage County (losing to Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle).
After that year, however, Roberts pivoted to “prestige TV,” starring in limited series that included 2019’s Homecoming (for which she was nominated for Best Performance in a Television Series – Drama at the 2019 Golden Globes) and 2022’s Gaslit (for which she was nominated for Best Performance in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television at the 2023 Golden Globes).
Thus, her return to cinema in 2025 thanks to Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt seemed to mark more excitement about her presence inside the International Ballroom at The Beverly Hilton this year. In no small part because Roberts represents arguably the last generation of actors when “star power” was actually a thing. Complete with captions in magazines that seemed to constantly spotlight Roberts’ “mega-watt” smile. A trademark of hers, along with (in the late 80s and early 90s) her curly red hair. Which has since given way to straightened-but-wavy tresses dyed in either a shade of blonde, red or brown. Both of these physical characteristics of hers becoming “signatures” the way that Bette Davis’ eyes or Marilyn Monroe’s beauty mark (among other attributes) are. In other words, she embodies the kind of star that Old Hollywood was known for “curating” via the studio system. To boot, she has the acting chops to back up her unique-but-famous-worthy “aesthetic.” All of these features combining to turn her into one of the biggest and highest-paid actresses of not only her time, but the current one as well. Not to mention, as evidenced by this year’s Golden Globes, one of the most revered actresses the more that time goes by and continues to vindicate her as a singular kind of performer. The sort that only comes, as they say, “once in a generation.” And then continues to transcend through the generations as a source of inspiration.
The first instance of Roberts being paid a kind of Wayne’s World-esque “we’re not worthy” tribute occurred during the opening monologue from Nikki Glaser (returning for a second year to host). Indeed, at only under a minute into her speech, Glaser said, “Just like the podcasters nominated tonight, I should not be allowed to be this close to Julia Roberts.” Marking Roberts as the only celebrity mentioned in her monologue who got nothing but respect instead of a roasting (with Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet arguably getting the most shade [for DiCaprio, the usual joke related to the average age of the women he dates, but with a sweet nod to a 1991 Teen Beat article that Glaser points to as the last time the actor truly “opened up”; for Chalamet, a joke about how he “bulked up” to portray a ping-pong player, gaining over a whopping “sixty ounces” to do so]).
When the announcement for the first award of the night, Best Supporting Female Actor in a Motion Picture, was made, it didn’t take long for Roberts’ name to come up again. This occurring when Teyana Taylor was announced as the winner in said category and the “narrators” of the ceremony (treating it like a football game as they offered their commentary) noted, “She said that she hopes to meet Julia Roberts tonight.” Seconds later, she was shown giving a kiss on the cheek to Roberts, who returned her affection warmly, as she approached the stage, followed by the narration, “And there she is hugging Julia Roberts. She did it! She got to meet Julia.” Evidently, the ultimate “coup” of the night for many actresses, including Jessie Buckley, who beat out Roberts in the Best Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama category for her performance in Hamnet. And out of all the other actresses she was nominated with (namely, Jennifer Lawrence, Renate Reinsve, Tessa Thompson and Eva Victor), it was Roberts she took the time to gush about the most (in addition to the Polish grip on the set of Hamnet who was always making a bomb-ass soup in his special pot brought from Poland). As she told her, “Julia Roberts, you are like a hero to us all. Thank you,” the cheers and claps in the room flared up as a cut to Roberts touching her chest and blowing a kiss in grateful response was shown.
And perhaps Buckley’s shoutout helped make it easier for Roberts to then immediately take the stage after being branded a “loser” in her category. That, or the fact that she got a standing ovation just for appearing on the stage, inciting her to deliver one of her other signatures: that laugh that became famous in Pretty Woman. After basking in the glow of her continued clout, Roberts told the crowd, “Wow, thank you. I’m gonna be impossible for at least a week, I appreciate that.” She then added, “What a great night. What a beautiful night to be an artist. This is 2026, we’re going straight to the top on this.” Granted, it’s difficult to tell based on her inherently dry tone whether or not there was just a hint of sarcasm in that assertion considering the state of the U.S. a.k.a. the place so many movie stars still call home (that is, when they’re not jetting off to one of their foreign residences à la George Clooney, who was just handed French citizenship like it was no big deal).
One hopes that there was, especially since, apart from Mark Ruffalo seething on the red carpet about the state of America, it would have been about the only sign that anything fucked-up was occurring outside the cush walls of The Beverly Hilton. While inside, Roberts continued to prove that the world remains undeniably moved by, more than anything, what remains of glitz and glamor. Something that social media and the “democratization” of everything has largely eroded (just ask Jennifer Aniston).
