Leonardo DiCaprio showed a rarely-seen playful side during commercial breaks at the 2026 Golden Globes, and a 14-second clip is racing across social media.
At a Glance
- DiCaprio, 51, was caught on camera laughing and reenacting another star’s reaction to a K-pop performance
- Fans flooded the post with comments calling it the “most animated” they’ve ever seen the Oscar winner
- The actor was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for One Battle After Another, but lost to Timothée Chalamet
- Why it matters: The viral moment humanizes one of Hollywood’s most private A-listers just as his film leads the night with nine nominations
The video, filmed inside the Beverly Hilton on January 11, 2026, shows DiCaprio pointing across the table and miming, “I was watching you, when the K-Pop thing, you were like, ‘Is that-who is that?'” He then bursts into laughter, clapping his hands while the surrounding ballroom noise fills the pause.
Kyle Buchanan, a reporter for The New York Times, posted the clip on X shortly after it happened. Within minutes, replies stacked up praising the star’s loose body language and comic timing. “This has me howling omfg it’s the most animated I’ve ever seen him,” one user wrote. Another joked, “You deserve a Golden Globe for this footage.” A third added, “He needs to be in a comedy movie asap.”
Although the person DiCaprio addressed is off-camera, seating charts and earlier arrivals footage strongly suggest it was Teyana Taylor, 35, his One Battle After Another costar. The pair sat opposite each other at the same table, and earlier in the evening they were photographed sharing a hug.
Taylor calls DiCaprio “Pops” off-screen, a nickname she explained on the red carpet at the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards. “We set it up for Perfidia to fall back for baby girl Willa to rise and take on these battles along with Pops right here,” she told E! News. Asked how he feels about the moniker, DiCaprio grinned and said, “Love it. Love it. Whatever she wants to call me.”
The brief backstage-style exchange was one of several unguarded moments for DiCaprio during the telecast. Cameras also caught him mid-conversation with Kate Hudson, eyes wide in mock shock, and later doubled over laughing with Julia Roberts near the bar.
Night of Near-Misses
Despite the levity, the evening ended without a trophy for DiCaprio. He was up for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson’s blockbuster that explores Hollywood’s Golden Age labor wars. The award went to Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme.
Still, the film dominated the nominations sheet:
| Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | One Battle After Another | Pending |
| Best Actor – Musical or Comedy | Leonardo DiCaprio | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actress | Teyana Taylor | Won |
| Best Supporting Actor | Sean Penn | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actor | Benicio Del Toro | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actress | Chase Infiniti | Nominated |
Taylor’s victory marks her first Golden Globe and adds momentum to the film’s awards-season run. The cast collectively cheered when her name was announced, with DiCaprio leading a standing ovation.
Social Reaction Snapshot
- “Wait I love him,” one fan replied to Buchanan’s post
- Another called the clip “pure cinema”
- A third demanded casting directors “put him in a rom-com immediately”
The overwhelmingly positive response underscores how seldom audiences see DiCaprio in relaxed, unscripted settings. Known for tight-lipped red-carpet interviews and a carefully guarded private life, the actor’s spontaneous burst of humor offered a counter-narrative to his usual stoic persona.
The 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards aired live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+ from the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
