Harlem native, Teyana Taylor opened the 83rd Golden Globe Awards with a win that immediately shifted the room’s energy from celebration to sincerity.
After receiving Best Supporting Actress for her role in One Battle After Another, Taylor addressed the audience with quiet surprise rather than confidence. “I almost didn’t even write a speech because I didn’t think I would get this,” she admitted, setting a candid tone for the night’s first acceptance.
Here is the CBS furnished clip of her speech posted by Rotten Tomatoes:
She briefly paused to speak to her daughters watching from home, saying, “Get off them damn phones,” a light moment that reinforced how personal the occasion was.
Spiritual grounding anchored the rest of her remarks. Taylor began by thanking “Father God, in the name of Jesus,” and reflected on “every lesson, every test, and every blessing” that led her to the stage. She described the recognition as something deeply meaningful, thanking the voters “for seeing me,” a line that carried the weight of years spent navigating visibility and validation.
Her family remained front and center. Taylor dedicated the award to her parents with the words, “It’s all for y’all anytime,” before acknowledging her wider “tribe.” She called them her “grounding force” and reminded the room that “love is an action, not just a word.”
She also expressed gratitude to director Paul Thomas Anderson aka PTA, playfully referring to him as “Paul ‘Let Him Cook’ Thomas Anderson,” and thanked the cast and crew for trusting her voice and instincts.
Taylor closed with a message aimed beyond the ballroom. “To my brown sisters and little brown girls watching tonight, our softness is not a liability. Our depth is not too much. Our light does not need permission to shine. We belong in every room we walk into. Our voices matter, and our dreams deserve space.”
The category included Emily Blunt, Elle Fanning, Ariana Grande, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Amy Madigan. Taylor’s moment stood apart as a declaration of purpose, not just performance.