Bill Maher looks stone-faced as Wanda Sykes mockingly begs him to ‘do less’ at 2026 Golden Globes

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Bill Maher is known for telling jokes on his HBO show, Real Time, but during Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards, he was the one being joked about.

While Wanda Sykes presented the award for Best Stand-Up Comedy Special, she jokingly teased the 69-year-old comedian, who was watching from the audience.

Sykes made playful, teasing jokes at the expense of all the nominees—including Brett Goldstein, Kevin Hart, Kumail Nanjiani, Ricky Gervais, and Sarah Silverman—but Maher didn’t seem to enjoy the jokes as much as the others did.

After expressing a desire to show support for the nominees, Sykes immediately began directing insults at Maher.

‘Bill Maher, you give us so much,’ Sykes said. ‘But I would love a little less.’

As laughter erupted from the audience, she continued, ‘Just… try less.’

Honestly, it killed me that Maher didn’t even crack a smile. He looked so confused at first, like he didn’t get it, and then his face just… shut down. It went totally blank, like he was turning to stone. It was so weird, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of it!

The Daily Mail has reached out to Maher’s representatives for comment.

Next up to be roasted was Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein.

Sykes told Brett Goldstein he found him handsome and charming, and complimented his voice, saying it was perfect for a villain. She then jokingly suggested he could have played one of the Menendez brothers.

Goldstein laughed, clearly pleased by the comparison to notorious criminals, as Sykes then turned his attention to Kevin Hart.

She playfully said he was the wealthiest of anyone competing, but also emphasized that he was incredibly driven to win.

‘You are a true American, Kevin,’ Sykes said as Hart also burst out laughing with the audience.

Sykes mentioned Kumail Nanjiani’s impressive physical change – he got very muscular while getting ready to be in the Marvel movie, The Eternals, which wasn’t very well-received.

Sykes expressed her appreciation for Nanjiani, saying he demonstrates that male comedians don’t need to be overweight to be humorous. This comment appeared to amuse both Nanjiani and his wife and frequent creative partner, Emily V. Gordon.

‘He’s jacked!’ Sykes added emphatically.

The comedienne also poked fun at how her friendship with Sarah Silverman had grown fallow.

You know, it’s amazing how life works. I was just catching up with a dear friend, Sarah, and it struck me – even after five years of not speaking, the connection was still there. It was like no time had passed at all! We had such a warm exchange, and she ended it with a simple, heartfelt ‘Good luck, girl, I love you.’ It really reminded me that true friendships can withstand anything, and that staying connected, even from afar, is so important. It’s a beautiful thing, honestly.

Following her criticism of Bill Maher, Sarah Silverman appeared to reserve her sharpest jokes for Ricky Gervais, despite him not being present at the event.

She playfully teased Ricky Gervais, saying she was glad he wasn’t at the awards show. She joked that if he did win, she’d have to accept the award for him, and he’d inevitably thank God – a funny comment considering his well-known atheism.

She also mentioned the transgender community, pointing to accusations that some of Gervais’ comedy has been critical of transgender people. However, Gervais stated in a 2020 interview with The Daily Beast that his jokes weren’t intended to be attacks on them.

Gervais explained that people often get offended by what a joke is about, rather than who the joke is actually targeting, and those two things aren’t always the same.

Throughout my career, I’ve seen this happen. People will say, ‘He’s joking about a transgender person, so he must be prejudiced against them,’ which is strange. It implies you can never joke about a transgender person, even if the joke has absolutely nothing to do with their gender identity.

After Sykes revealed Gervais as the winner, she immediately followed through on her promise, expressing gratitude to both God and the transgender community as if speaking for him.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Gervais reps for comment.  

At Sunday’s Golden Globes, Timothée Chalamet became the frontrunner to win the Best Actor Oscar. He won the award for his performance in Marty Supreme (directed by Josh Safdie), surpassing Leonardo DiCaprio—star of One Battle After Another—in the odds.

Leading up to the awards season, Leonardo DiCaprio, 51, was expected to win, but now Timothée Chalamet is the clear frontrunner for Best Actor at the upcoming Academy Awards, according to predictions from Kalshi, a regulated exchange and prediction market.

Despite the competition, Leonardo DiCaprio’s film, One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, won Best Picture – Comedy or Musical at an awards show on Sunday night at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. It beat out several other nominees, including Timothée Chalamet’s film, as well as Blue Moon, Bugonia, No Other Choice, and Nouvelle Vague.

Although ‘One Battle After Another’ received the most awards at the ceremony with a total of four, it’s expected to face strong competition from Chloe Zhao’s ‘Hanmet’ when it comes to the Oscars. ‘Hanmet’ won the final award of the night – Best Picture in the Drama category – beating out films like ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘It Was Just An Accident,’ ‘The Secret Agent,’ ‘Sentimental Value,’ and ‘Sinners’.

Three television shows took home awards: The Pitt won in the drama category, The Studio in comedy or musical, and Adolescence as a limited series.

Thirty-year-old Timothée Chalamet caused quite a stir when he didn’t mention his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, while accepting his award for Marty Supreme.

The French actor had a big night at the awards show, winning the award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy film. He finished his acceptance speech quickly, simply saying, ‘To my parents and partner, I love you. Thank you so much.’

Jenner, 28, received a surprisingly subtle expression of affection after publicly professing her love at last week’s Critics Choice Awards 2026.

Timothée Chalamet won the role, beating out strong contenders like Leonardo DiCaprio. Other actors considered for the part included George Clooney, Ethan Hawke, Lee Byung-Hun, and Jesse Plemons.

Oh my gosh, One Battle After Another absolutely swept the awards! It took home FOUR wins, including Best Picture for a comedy or musical, which I knew it deserved! And Paul Thomas Anderson? Best Director and Screenplay – totally brilliant! But honestly, the biggest shock and joy was Teyana Taylor winning Best Supporting Actress! I was screaming! It was the perfect night, seriously.

I’ve been absolutely thrilled with how well ‘One Battle After Another’ has done this awards season! But honestly, I’m bracing myself because ‘Hamnet,’ with Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, is a serious contender. They just took home Best Picture – Drama, and I can see why – it’s a phenomenal film, and it’s going to be a tough battle!

Buckley won a major acting award, receiving the prize for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

Oh my gosh, you guys, I’m still reeling! This incredible 36-year-old Irish actress absolutely crushed the competition! I mean, she beat out Jennifer Lawrence, Renate Reinsve, Julia Roberts, Tessa Thompson, and even Eva Victor! Can you believe it?! I knew she was amazing, but to win against that lineup? Seriously, I’m obsessed! It’s just… perfection.

Netflix’s series Adolescence was the big winner on television, taking home awards in every category it was nominated in. Sixteen-year-old Owen Cooper, a star of the show, made history as one of the youngest people ever to win a Golden Globe Award.

The young actor won an award for Best Supporting Actor in a TV series, limited series, or TV movie.

Stephen Graham, who appeared with him in His Adolescence, later won an award for Best Actor in a TV movie or limited series.

The Netflix series had a big night, with Erin Doherty winning Best Supporting Actress for her role in a limited series or TV movie.

The show took home the award for Best Limited TV Series, Anthology Series, or TV Movie, beating out competitors like ‘All Her Fault,’ ‘The Beast in Me,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Dying for Sex,’ and ‘The Girlfriend’.

Noah Wyle continued his award streak, following his Critics Choice Awards win last week. He received the award for Best Actor in a Drama Series for his role in The Pitt, a show created by R. Scott Gemmill.

Wyle also guided the popular HBO show to win television’s highest award, with The Pitt receiving the prize for Best Drama Series.

The Studio had a great night, winning both Best TV Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series, with Seth Rogen taking home the latter award.

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2026-01-12 10:23