Teyana Taylor won Best Supporting Actress for One Battle After Another at the 2026 Golden Globes on January 11, turning her acceptance moment into a rallying cry for women of color.
At a Glance
- Taylor, 35, flashed a crystal thong before dedicating the win to her kids and director Paul Thomas Anderson
- She beat Emily Blunt, Elle Fanning, Ariana Grande, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Amy Madigan
- Why it matters: Her on-stage message celebrated softness, depth and unapologetic ambition for “Brown girls” worldwide
The Beverly Hilton ballroom erupted when the singer-actress, 35, strode to the podium and immediately spun around. “Wait, see my party in the back,” she laughed, revealing the glittering under-layer beneath her gown. The stunt broke the usual polite applause pattern and set the tone for a speech she confessed she “almost didn’t” prepare.
A Shout-Out Upstairs and On-Screen
Taylor’s first order of business was parental enforcement. “Y’all better be off those damn phones and watching me right now,” she called out to her children, whom she said were “upstairs watching” the CBS telecast. The line drew one of the night’s loudest laughs.
She pivoted quickly to gratitude, thanking her parents and the “tribe” she described as “my grounding force” through awards season. The actress saved her most effusive praise for director Paul Thomas Anderson, whose nickname on set is “Let ‘Em Cook.”
“To Paul ‘Let ‘Em Cook’ Thomas Anderson, thank you for your vision, your trust and your brilliance,” Taylor said. “My gratitude is endless. I love you, we love you and thank you so much for holding space for me and our entire cast.”
The Role That Earned the Globe
In One Battle After Another, Taylor plays Perfidia Beverly Hills, a revolutionary who shares a child with a fellow vigilante portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio. The character battles postpartum depression and ultimately leaves her family, a choice Taylor recently unpacked in an interview with News Of Losangeles.
“It was the result of feeling unheard, unseen, not beautiful and like a piece of meat,” she explained. “It resulted [in] her to feel[ing] like, ‘Okay, I need to be selfish and show up for myself, even at the expense of leaving my own child.’ But who are we to judge how she handles postpartum depression after being ignored?”
A Message for “Brown Sisters”
Taylor closed her speech with a direct address to “my Brown sisters and little Brown girls watching tonight.” The remarks doubled as both personal mantra and cultural commentary:
- “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 lines sparked immediate social media traction, with #BrownGirlsDeserveSpace trending within minutes of the broadcast.
The Contenders She Defeated
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association had stacked the category with high-profile performances:
| Nominee | Film | Role Description |
|---|---|---|
| Emily Blunt | The Smashing Machine | Dawn Staples, girlfriend to MMA fighter Mark Kerr |
| Elle Fanning | Sentimental Value | American actress hired for a Norwegian director’s personal project |
| Ariana Grande | Wicked: For Good | Glinda, exploring fallout from first film’s choices |
| Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas | Sentimental Value | Agnes, daughter in a fraught family dynamic |
| Amy Madigan | Weapons | Aunt Gladys, terrifying presence in a suburban town |
Blunt told Wonderland Magazine that her character is “as fierce as she is fragile,” navigating addiction and co-dependency opposite Dwayne Johnson. Fanning, the only American in the largely Norwegian Sentimental Value cast, said she “didn’t feel like an outsider” despite playing one.
Grande, nominated in the same category last year, described the Wicked sequel as “about consequences” after the first film focused on choices. Ibsdotter Lilleaas related to the parent-child tension, noting that “a lot of people can relate… in a less conflict-based way.”
Madigan, who previously won a Globe in 1990 for Roe vs. Wade, joked with News Of Losangeles in December that she and husband Ed Harris were having “a good giggle” about awards attention for her turn as the sinister Aunt Gladys. “People want to see original, exciting characters, and I think Gladys proves that,” she said.
Key Takeaways
- Taylor’s victory marks her first Golden Globe and adds momentum to One Battle After Another as awards season continues
- Her acceptance speech blended humor, family pride and cultural affirmation in under four minutes
- The win positions Taylor as a potential Oscar contender in a category that has become increasingly competitive for musical crossover stars
- The actress used fashion-specifically a visible thong-to reclaim narrative control on a night when red-carpet commentary often eclipses artistic achievement
