golden globes

Some winners at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards Tuesday (Jan. 10) weren’t too pleased when it sounded like live pianist Chloe Flower playing to urge them to wrap up their acceptance speeches. Neither was the internet.
Since the event, though, Flower has cleared the air with folks such as Michelle Yeoh and Austin Butler, both of whom made digs at the play-off music during their time onstage. And now, she wants to set the record straight for everyone else: It wasn’t her who was playing the piano in the middle of winners’ speeches — it was a pre-recorded track.

“I was hired to play piano when we come back from commercial break and re-enter the program,” she told People in a story published Thursday (Jan. 12). “It’s called a rejoin. That was the only time I was ever supposed to play, and that’s the only time I played. I think that all of the winners and celebrities who were being cut off didn’t … all of a sudden, I became the face of the playoff music.”

“I was kind of sad,” she continued. “I mean, you saw it. They cut to me. I’m not an actress. I was sad that everyone thought that I would be that disrespectful. I would never do that as a live musician.”

Flower caught a lot of flack on social media during the course of the show from upset viewers who assumed it was her piano-playing that was interrupting the stars’ big moments. An insta-viral clip of Yeoh looking off stage, presumably at Flower — who was sitting at the piano but not playing — “Shut up, please … I can beat you up, OK? And that’s serious,” while accepting the award for best actress in a musical or comedy didn’t help the misunderstanding.

Butler, accepting best actor in a motion picture, drama for his title role in Elvis, quipped: “You could at least play ‘Suspicious Minds’ or something.” And Farrell, who won best actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy said, “You can forget that piano.”

Though viewers may have missed it as many in the crowd were talking over him in the moment, host Jerrod Carmichael set the record straight on camera before the show had even ended — something Flower said made her cry because she felt “protected.”

“Look, this show here is not easy,” Carmichael said during the ceremony. “We are very lucky to have tonight, someone who is an incredible, incredible pianist. People on Twitter are like, ‘Man, she’s playing people off.’ It’s actually a track.”

According to Flower, she was able to explain what had really happened to Yeoh before the night was over. “She walked past the piano, and I stopped her and I was like, ‘I would never play during your speech,” she recalled. “I respect you, and I am a huge fan,’ and she held my hand. She was so lovely, and she was so nice.”

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Flower shared that she also got the chance to clear the air with Butler. “I definitely reached out to him and I said, ‘I was not playing during your play-off,’” she said. “He was like, ‘Really?’ He’s like, ‘Sorry. Thank you.’”

“They’re all artists, and I think they just want their moments to say thank you, and they don’t want to be cut off,” she added. “I think in the moment, they’re not really thinking about me. They’re not thinking about the producers, they’re just thinking about, ‘Why is someone cutting me off?’ I didn’t feel like it was necessarily directed at me, if that makes sense, even though it was at me.”

The 2023 Golden Globes took over the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, Calif., on Tuesday (Jan. 10), where the biggest names in television and film gathered to celebrate an impressive year of entertainment.

The top film prizes of the night went to The Fabelmans (drama) and The Banshees of Inisherin (musical or comedy), while the big TV awards went to House of the Dragons (drama), Abbott Elementary (musical or comedy) and The White Lotus (limited series, anthology series or a motion picture made for television).

Meanwhile, in the music world, Justin Hurwitz won best original score for Babylon, while “Naatu Naatu” from RRR was named best original song.

Beyond the onscreen excitement, moving speeches and viral-worthy moments, even more fun went down behind the scenes. Billboard was on site at the Golden Globes and the afterparty, and we’re breaking down the six best moments you didn’t see on TV. Check them out below.

She’s a mastermind! Taylor Swift may not have been in the room at the 2023 Golden Globes held at the Beverly Hilton on Tuesday (Jan. 10), but her presence was still felt in the awards show’s choice of music.

Ryan Murphy was the evening’s recipient of the prestigious Carol Burnett Award, which the Hollywood Foreign Press Association gives to honor “outstanding and lasting contributions to television on or off the screen,” and as he walked to the podium to accept the trophy, Swift’s Midnights closer “Mastermind” could be heard playing over the cheers of Hollywood’s best-dressed glitterati.

“Once upon a time the planets and the fates/ And all the stars aligned/ You and I ended up in the same room/ At the same time/ And the touch of a hand lit the fuse,” the superstar’s voice can be heard before the American Horror Story and Pose creator began his acceptance speech.

After accepting the award from frequent collaborator Billy Porter, Murphy offered a nearly 10-minute speech shouting out LGBTQ+ trailblazers he’s worked with over the years, including Porter, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Niecy Nash, Matt Bomer and Jeremy Pope.

“When I was a young person at home in the ’70s, watching The Carol Burnett Show, I never, ever saw a person like me getting an award or even being a character on a TV show,” he said. “It’s hard being an LGBTQ kid in America. In fact, all over the world then and now. And I have one word for you: Florida. You are often told you will never become anything, you have to hide your light to survive. But for those kids watching tonight, I offer up MJ and Billy and Niecy and Matt and Jeremy as examples of possibility.”

Swift was nominated in the best original song, motion picture category for her track “Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing alongside fellow nominees Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Tems. However, all the superstars were ultimately beat out by Chandrabose and M.M. Keeravaani’s “Naatu Naatu” from RRR.

Watch Swift’s “Mastermind” help soundtrack Murphy’s big Golden Globes moment below.