Hollywood loves a good comeback story, and the Golden Globes have just made one.

The 2024 Golden Globe Awards, which aired live on CBS on Sunday (Jan. 7), averaged 9.4 million viewers, up 50% from last year. The show achieved its largest audience since 2020, according to Nielsen time zone-adjusted fast national, including out-of-home, ratings for Sunday.

Hollywood’s Party of the Year – the phrase has been trademarked – was Sunday’s most-watched entertainment program.

Hosted by comedian Jo Koy, the Globes reached the largest livestreaming audience for an awards show across Paramount+ and other CBS platforms since the 65th annual Grammy Awards in February 2023.

It was the second largest livestreamed CBS special event on Paramount+ ever in terms of AMA (average minute audience) and reach.

On social media, the Golden Globes dominated Sunday night with nearly 30 billion potential impressions, ranking as the No. 1 program of the night based on total interactions.

Three years ago, the Globes were rocked by scandal about a lack of diversity in the organization and ethical lapses. It was so bad that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who hosted that year for the fourth time, openly criticized the show while hosting the show. Fey said, “We all know awards shows are stupid. The point is, even with stupid things, inclusivity is important and there are no Black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. … You have to change that.”

The 2021 show’s ratings plummeted, from 18.32 million viewers in 2020 to just 6.91 million viewers. That marked the first time the show’s viewership had dropped below 14 million viewers since it moved from TBS to NBC in 1996. Whether it was the controversy or the disruptive effect of the pandemic isn’t clear, but the ratings tanked, even in the hands of top-tier hosts like Fey and Poehler.

Two years ago, the Golden Globes were held as a private dinner, with no television or streaming component. It seemed like the show, which originated in 1944, might be too damaged to ever recover. But the idea of the show – a fun, loose event where seemingly every big star in film and TV (and sometimes music too) are jam-packed into one ballroom – was simply too good for Hollywood to let it go.

The show was back on NBC last year, but reached just 6.3 million viewers. This year it moved over to CBS for a show that lived up to its old reputation as Hollywood’s free-wheeling party of the year, with such A-listers as Meryl, Oprah, Taylor and Bruce in attendance.

The champagne that flowed so freely last night in the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., is flowing again in offices at the Golden Globes and CBS. The show appears to have survived its brush with death.

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard’s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.

Never let it be said that Mark Ronson lets a good speech go to waste. He had prepared some remarks just in case either of his two nominated songs from Barbie — “I’m Just Ken” or “Dance the Night” — won best original song at the Golden Globes on Sunday. As we all know by now, the speech wasn’t needed. Billie Eilish and Finneas won in the category for their Barbie contribution, “What Was I Made For?”

So Ronson tore up the speech, which he had written on note cards, and tossed it into a wicker wastebasket, presumably in his hotel room, next to an empty suitcase. But the ever-thinking songwriter took a photo of the basket and its contents and posted it on Instagram. At least he can get some social media mileage out of it. At press time, the good-humored post — which also included a red-carpet photo and video with wife Grace Gummer — had gotten 19,000 likes.

Barbie had a disappointing night at the Globes. Ryan Gosling, whose go-for-broke performance of “I’m Just Ken” was one of the film’s unquestioned highlights, lost best performance by a male actor in a supporting role in any motion picture to Robert Downey Jr. for Oppenheimer. Margot Robbie, who played Barbie to pink perfection, lost best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy to Emma Stone for Poor Things. More surprisingly, Barbie lost best motion picture – musical or comedy to Poor Things.

In the biggest shocker, Greta Gerwig and Noah Bambach lost best screenplay – motion picture to Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, the screenwriters of Anatomy of a Fall. The screenplay award was widely expected to go to Barbie as a sort of consolation prize for Gerwig’s expected loss in the best director – motion picture category to Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer.

Of course, Barbie’s long ride has been so spectacularly successful that one meh night at an awards show shouldn’t take any of the shine off the experience. And Ronson seems to have a good sense of humor about the whole thing.

Heard, chef! Taylor Swift couldn’t help but nod in agreement during The Bear star Ayo Edebiri’s acceptance speech for best actress in a TV series – musical or comedy at the 2024 Golden Globes on Sunday (Jan. 7).

The moment came in the middle of the actress’ speech, during which she thanked not only her costars, her family and fellow nominees, but some really behind-the-scenes people who have played a role in her career. “There’s so many people who I probably forgot to thank. Oh my god — all of my agents’ and managers’ assistants,” Edebiri, who plays chef Sydney, excitedly emphasized. “To the people who answer my emails, you are all the real ones! Thank you for answering my crazy, crazy emails. Yeah, I’m really, really grateful. If I forgot to thank you, I’m sorry, unless you were mean or something!”

As the actress, who earned her first Golden Globe nomination and win for her work on the show’s second season, gave Hollywood assistants their shoutouts, the 12-time Grammy winner — whose Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film is up for the cinematic and box office achievement award — couldn’t help but show she agreed with Edebiri’s acknowledgement of assistants, clapping, nodding and mouthing with a smile, “Oh yeah, yup!”

Earlier in the night, The Bear lead Jeremy Allen White, who plays Carmy on Hulu’s hit show, won for best actor in a TV series – musical or comedy.

The 2024 Golden Globes was hosted by Jo Koy and held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. It was produced by dick clark productions.

Watch Ayo Edebiri’s acceptance speech and Taylor Swift’s reaction to it below:

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.