Political Pins Were A Golden Globes Fashion Statement. Are They Enough?

The 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards took place last night (January 11), and by all means, it was business as usual for the official kick-off to the 2026 awards season. Which, to be clear, isn’t a good thing. As anyone who’s logging onto social media, turning on their TV, or doom scrolling on their TikTok FYP daily knows, the times are anything but normal — and we shouldn’t be acting like they are. 

Kicking off the show, often touted as Hollywood’s biggest party, two-time host Nikki Glaser made a subtle allusion to the current political and social climate, welcoming celebs and viewers to the event that was “without a doubt the most important thing happening in the world right now.” And then, that was pretty much it.

To recap: the past year has seen a brutal decimation of human rights across the United States. Since the start of his second term in office, President Donald Trump and his administration have rolled back DEI initiatives across sectors, issued executive orders to end birthright citizenship and suspend the admission of refugees to the country, as well as targeted Transgender Americans by defining “sex” as binary and proposing an immediate pause on gender-affirming care. In addition to this, his administration has increased funding to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), deploying the National Guard into cities across the country and inciting violence. Earlier this month, a Minneapolis citizen, Renee Good, was shot and killed by an ICE agent. Oh, and the President of the United States is set to hold a UFC fight this July to celebrate his 80th birthday, held on the White Houses’ South Lawn. (Which isn’t a social injustice, but is tacky as hell). 

These are arguably the most unprecedented of unprecedented times; yet the Golden Globes felt like something straight out of  the 2016 feminism and activism handbook — ie: soap boxing with little to no substance. Talking around some of the most prevalent and dire issues of the moment without actually speaking to them in a way that would cause conversation or discomfort (which, to be clear, is needed). 

Presenting the award for Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, Made for TV Movie, Kathryn Hahn and Melissa McCarthy took to the stage to sarcastically congratulate men on finally being recognized for their acting chops, as well as their abilities to show their range playing so many roles, as McCarthy put it "Husband! Ex-husband! Secretary! And everybody's favorite: nosy neighbor.” It was a moment of comedy meant to be a tongue-in-cheek jab at ongoing conversations around men’s dominance in the profession that failed to be either funny or actually impactful. The feeling was similar to actress Natalie Portman’s now-infamous statement at the 2018 Golden Globes while presenting the award for Best Director, where she pointedly called out the categories’ list of all-male nominees. It was a strong statement, until you consider the fact that — between 2018 and this year — Portman has herself worked with no female directors. (In the words of queen Kirsten Dunst: “It’s very simple” to work with female directors). 

Later in the show, Noah Wyle, the hunky lead of hit HBO series The Pitt  – which unflinching depicts the reality of being a healthcare worker in America — picked up two Golden Globe Awards, during which he broadly thanked healthcare workers, without speaking to any of the current ways in which the health care system is inaccessible to the majority of Americans. And Nikki Glaser ribbed Leonardo DiCaprio for continuing to date women under 30 instead of questioning why someone who claims to be a climate activist would attend Jeff Bezos’ wedding. And even though One Battle After Another is a satire about revolution, critiquing anti-immigration and extremist white nationalist groups, those issues weren't directly addressed in the speeches when the film won.

It was…dissapointing to say the least. 

Maybe this characterization is unfair. And some celebrities did subtly use their platforms for good last night. But the idea of asking and expecting celebrities to speak truth to power is nothing new. In fact, fans have been demanding it for years. Largely, these calls to action have been met with a divisive response from people both in and outside of the industry. In 2020, then- Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais directly warned celebrities not to talk about politics in their acceptance speeches, saying:  “You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg. If you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent and your god, and fuck off.” 

In 2021, reflecting on that comment after yet another apolitical Golden Globe awards ceremony, Refinery29’s Senior Content Director, Entertainment Kathleen Newman-Bremang wrote about understanding the inclination to want to tell stars to essentially “shut up and look pretty.” It’s one that many stars we look to seem to hold, or at least cower behind, themselves.

In a November 2025 interview, Die My Love actress Jennifer Lawrence spoke about her decision to not speak openly about her politics, specifically the actions of President Donald Trump. In an interview with The New York Times’ The Interview podcast, Lawrence said that, after spending the President’s first term “running around like a chicken with [her] head cut off,” she felt speaking out wouldn’t have an impact. “We’ve learned election after election, celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for,” Lawrence said. “So then what am I doing? I’m just sharing my opinion on something that’s going to add fuel to a fire that’s ripping the country apart. We are so divided.”

Lawrence went on to say that she wouldn’t want her personal politics to deter people from coming to see her films, media that, in her words, could "change consciousness or change the world.” While we admire the ambition and trust in her craft (and yes, it is true that art can literally change lives) — please, give us a break. Just say you don’t want to alienate people that will contribute to your bottom line. 

But the fact remains that, despite what any comedians or Jennifer Lawrence may think, these celebrities and their platforms do have influence and can elicit change, especially when it comes to political leaders. When Taylor Swift publicly supported Kamala Harris ahead of the November 2024 Presidential election, sharing her intent to vote for the candidate on Instagram, she drove over 400,000 people to the vote.gov site over the next 24 hours. Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan, who has continued to post frequently to Palestinian aid organizations, has helped raise over $2 million USD to date. 

To be fair, that’s not to say that celebrities have completely eschewed speaking up and out about what’s currently happening in the country. Walking the red carpet ahead of the 83rd annual Golden Globes show, a handful of stars did speak out about the need for celebrities and lay people alike to be vocal about the current climate in the United States. Speaking to Refinery29, Poker Face actress Natasha Lyon, who donned a pin declaring ICE OUT, said: “I just think it’s important that we don’t normalize what’s going on in this country right now. I love America, I love us, I love our communities,  free speech, I love the Trevor Project and all that. I think it’s important. Renee Good, say her name.” Lyon was one of several actors, including Tessa Thompson, Wanda Sykes, and Mark Ruffalo, who wore pins that said "Be Good," speaking out against the actions of ICE and in support of Good and Keith Porter Jr., who was also killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The Be Good campaign was launched by advocacy groups in response to ICE's $1000 million "wartime recruitment campaign" aimed at expanding enforcement officers. Hacks star Hannah Einbinder also walked the carpet donning an Artists4Ceasefire pin — a red carpet fashion staple for her.

Later on the same carpet, actress Yvette Nicole Brown was even more explicit with her distaste for the current administration, telling Refinery29’s Unbothered the thing that’s bothering her deeply is, simply: “Our government. That orange ghoul that is terrorizing us everyday,” before warning viewers that “it’s about to be really real, get ready.”

And while accepting her third Golden Globe for Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series, Hacks star Jean Smart also took her moment on-stage to encourage viewers to take action, saying: “There’s just a lot that could be said tonight; I said my rant on the red carpet, so I won’t do it here….But let’s all do the right thing. I think everybody in their hearts knows what the right thing is to do. So let’s do the right thing.” Smart was referring to earlier comments she made on the carpet, telling reporters that filming of the upcoming season of the show was overshadowed by the current goings on in the country, stating: “I feel like we’re kind of at a turning point in this country, and I hope people can keep their heads because that’s actually, really, the hardest thing, I think, is to keep our heads. It’s going to take a lot of courage and concerns, but I think that’s important.”

While fashion has long been political, and these small moments of resistance can be important,  it’s hard to feel like a handful of celebs donning obscured, teeny-tiny pins or making veiled comments about triumphing over fear is enough, or anywhere near enough — because it’s really not.

We need celebrities, with platforms and the ability to reach to and speak to people on every side of these issues, by virtue of their influence, to be vocal about the reality of what’s happening and what the impact is for everyone. We need these big names with big money and big studios attached to them to take action — whether that’s boycotting award shows or refusing to speak to anything other than these issues at this moment in time. 

It feels like the bare minimum, and actress Jameela Jamil agrees. Speaking to Refinery29 at the Spotify x The Hollywood Reporter Golden Globes Nominees Night, the British actress — who is a vocal activist — spoke to the inability of many of her colleagues to speak out against injustices, pondering, “Am I brave or are they cowards?”

“I think they’re being greedy and weird and disappointing," Jamil continued. “Look at the billions of eyeballs on all of us collectively, there should be no outliers of the industry who are the outspoken ones…out there on their own with this amount of privilege.” Jamil pointed to actors like Mark Ruffalo, who has often and vocally spoken out against injustices, noting that, when we look at people like him, we weaponize the word “brave” as a way to separate ourselves, removing ourselves from the expectation that we can and will do the same. “So we rely on individuals to do what would be so much easier to achieve as a collective.” 

And if the Golden Globes are any indicator of what this upcoming awards season will hold when it comes to celebs speaking out, it feels like — once again — Ruffalo will be an outlier. 

But as disappointing as the apoliticalness of this awards show was, maybe the bigger disappointment is the fact that we continue to hope and ask for anything different from those we look up to onscreen, and continue to be disappointed when they don’t follow through. Because truly, what can we really expect? At the end of the day, this industry is all about the bottom line. And our faves, who we idolize, meme, emulate and form a parasocial bond with, are largely going to stay on the side of the line that makes sure they get their bag – as long as these injustices don’t impact or affect them directly. 

So, for the next few months, award show contenders, winners, and Hollywood ingenues will have the spotlight on them. As they have every other awards’ season, they’ll thank their families and agents; tearfully, they’ll talk about hardship and determination, picking themselves up and trying again. And maybe it’s time we stop hoping for more.