Golden Globes 2025 winners: Demi Moore, 62, stunned as she earns first ever Best Actress honor for The Substance

Demi Moore was left shocked as she earned  Best Actress in Musical or Comedy for The Substance at the Golden Globes 2025.

The 62-year-old actress gave a riveting speech about the journey it took her to get to this crowning achievement.

She won over a very impressive field including: Amy Adams for Nightbitch, Cynthia Erivo for Wicked, Karla Sofía Gascón for Emilia Pérez, Mikey Madison for Anora, and Zendaya for Challengers.

Demi began her acceptance speech by saying: 'Oh, wow! I really wasn't expecting that. I'm just in shock right now. I've been doing this a long time, like, over 45 years, and this is the first time I've ever won anything as an actor. And I am just so humbled and so grateful. 

'30 years ago I had a producer tell me that I was a popcorn actress, and at that time I made that mean that this is not something I was allowed to have. That I could do movies that were successful and made a lot of money, but that I couldn't be acknowledged, and I bought in and I believed that. That corroded me over time, to the point where I thought a few years ago that maybe this was it, maybe I was complete, maybe I had done what I was supposed to do.'

Demi credits her latest project to helping not only reinvigorate her career but also the artist within herself.

She explained: 'And as I was at kind of a low point, I had this magical, bold, courageous, out-of-the-box, absently bonkers script come across my desk called The Substance. And the universe told me, you are not done, and I am so grateful to Coralie for trusting me to step in and play this woman.'

She went on to thank her co-star Margaret Qualley in addition to her support system throughout her career.

Demi concluded: 'And I will just leave you with one thing that I think this movie is imparting. In those moments when we don't think we are smart enough or pretty enough or skinny enough or successful enough, or basically just not enough, I ha a woman say to me, just know you will never be enough, but you can know the value of your worth if you just put down the measuring stick. 

'So today I celebrate this as a marker of my wholeness end of the love that is driving me, and the gift of doing something I love and being reminded that I do belong. Thank you so much.'

In the film she plays a fading celebrity named Elisabeth who takes a black-market drug: a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.

The 2025 Golden Globe Awards kicked off in fine form as Zoe Saldana  upset Ariana Grande to take home the first award of the night

 The 46-year-old actress was emotional as she earned Best Supporting Female Actor for her transcendent work in Emilia Perez.

She triumphed over an impressive field which included the aforementioned Ariana for Wicked in addition to  Selena Gomez for Emilia Pérez, Felicity Jones for The Brutalist, Margaret Qualley for The Substance, and Isabella Rossellini for Conclave.

Zoe had tears running down her face as she accepted the honor as she took to the podium and said: 'I know I don't have much time, and I have dyslexia, so I tend to forget when I'm really anxious, and I'm filled with adrenaline, but my heart is full of gratitude. 

'Thank you so much to the Golden Globes for celebrating our film, and honoring the women of Emilia Perez. Thank you so much. Oh, my god!'

She went on to thank her fellow nominees as she continued: 'This is a first time for me, and I'm just so blessed that I'm sharing this moment with Selena and Carla and Jack and all of my fellow nominees. I am in all of you. 

'Your strength, your complexity, your undeniable talent. I know it's a competition, but all I have witnessed is just us showing up for each other and celebrating each other, and it is just so beautiful. 

'Selena, Ariana, Margaret, Felicity, Isabella, I had lunch one time in your house and I thought I had made it already. You are magic. You're all magic.'

In Emilia Perez, Zoe plays Rita Mora Castro who is a lawyer as the film is centered around four remarkable women pursuing their individual happiness in Mexico.

Cartel leader Emilia (played by Karla Sofia Gascon) enlists Rita, an unappreciated lawyer, to help fake her death so that she can finally live authentically as her true self. 

Emilia Perez also earned the coveted Best Non-English Language Film award later in the night over All We Imagine as Light, The Girl with the Needle, I'm Still Here, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, and Vermiglio.

Colin Farrell took home Best TV Actor - Limited Series for his work in The Penguin.

 The 48-year-old Irishman beat out Richard Gadd for Baby Reindeer, Kevin Kline for Disclaimer, Cooper Koch for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Ewan McGregor for A Gentleman in Moscow, and Andrew Scott for Ripley.

Colin turned up the charm as he began his acceptance speech by saying: 'No one to think on this one, I did it all by myself. Just a raw. Pared-away performance. 

'You will know it takes a village whether on the small screen of the big screen. I'm here on the backs of the talent of so many people through the years. Maybe this one more than others because of the designer of the makeup, the extruder a make-up team. 

'All it took was three hours in the chair in the morning. I drank black coffee and listen to '80s music and became a canvas for that team's brilliance.'

In the HBO mini series which takes place following the events of 2022 film The Batman, Colin's character Oz Cobb, AKA the Penguin, makes a play to seize the reins of the crime world in Gotham.

One of the highlight wins in television came when Jessica Gunning earned Best Supporting Actress for her work in Baby Reindeer.

 The 38-year-old English thespian beat out Liza Colón-Zayas for The Bear, Hannah Einbinder for Hacks, Dakota Fanning for Ripley, Allison Janney for The Diplomat, and Kali Reis for True Detective: Night Country.

Jessica almost took a tumble as she hit the stage and was quick to make a cheeky joke as she hit the microphone and said: 'I almost tripped up. You almost saw my Golden Globes there. Thank you very much. 

'This is an absolute honor, honestly. This is a video of me when I was little, about eight years old, and my mom and dad got me a hamster for Christmas, and they brought it out and they said -- in a bin bag, happy Christmas. I have a very Yorkshire accent. I can't believe this is happening to me. 

'I realized this morning that has been kind of the soundtrack for my life this last year since Baby Reindeer came out. I can't believe any of this is happening to me. I want to say thank you for everyone to let me come on this journey.'

In the based-on-a-true-story Netflix series, Gunning portrays Martha Scott who is a former lawyer with a criminal past obsessed with Richard Gadd's character. 

The annual event, which was hosted by Emmy-nominated comedian Nikki Glaser, are taking place at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles on January 5.

 The 40-year-old comedian hilariously kicked off the night with hilarious jokes about the election, Diddy, Timothee Chalamet, Wicked, Nicole Kidman, Glen Powell, film, and television.

Wicked's Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo and musical drama Emilia Perez lead the nominations.

Jacques Audiard's surreal narco-thriller musical about a Mexican drug lord who transitions to life as a woman led the nominations with 10, as the race to the Oscars heats up.

The genre-defying film stars transgender actress Karla Sofia Gascon as the title character, along with actress-singer Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldana in supporting roles.

All three are up for prizes for the Golden Globes, set for January 5, which are widely seen as a bellwether for the Academy Awards.

Smash hit Wicked, the movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, earned four nominations, including one apiece for pop sensation Grande and Tony award winner  Erivo. 

Grande - earning her first ever Golden Globe nomination - features in the category for Best Supporting Female Actor - Motion Picture, courtesy of her role as Galinda Upland in the fantasy drama.

The versatile star will compete alongside close friend Selena Gomez for her role in Emilia Perez, and Margaret Qualley, who won universally positive reviews for body shock horror The Substance. 

Isabella Rossellini also features for her role in Concave, as does Zoe Saldana - again, for Emilia Perez. 

Ahead of the nominations, Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis suggested organisers should save the last three categories of the night for comedy-musical honours, especially lead actress, which he called "the bloodbath category." 

He could be right, with Erivo, Emilia Perez star Karla Sofia Gascon and Anora star Mikey Madison battling for the lead actress prize with perennial awards favorite Amy Adams for Nightb***h. Demi Moore for The Substance and Challengers star Zendaya.

Wicked also receives a nod for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement with hit films  Deadpool & Wolverine, Twisters, Inside Out 2, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and the surprisingly overlooked Gladiator II. 

Brady Corbet's The Brutalist is among the contenders for Best Motion Picture Drama, while Adam Brody and British star Felicity Jones scored acting nods alongside Guy Pearce for supporting.

The category also features two films starring Timothee Chalamet - his upcoming Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown and Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two. 

Chalamet is also up for best actor in a motion picture drama for his role as influential folk singer Dylan, alongside British star Daniel Craig in Queer, Sebastian Stan for his role as Donald Trump in The Apprentice and Colman Domingo for Sing Sing - a film about a man imprisoned for a crime he did not commit who finds purpose by acting in a theatre group.

The nominations haul for Conclave includes British actor Ralph Fiennes, who leads the pack for Best Actor in a Drama for his portrayal of a conflicted priest overseeing a papal election. 

British star Eddie Redmayne was among the early contenders after being named in the category for Best Television Actor in a Drama Series for his starring role in Sky Original series The Day Of The Jackal. 

The actor faces stiff competition from Jake Gyllenhaal for Presumed Innocent, while Donald Glover also wins a nomination for his role in Mr. & Mrs. Smith. 

Gary Oldman's starring role in Disney+ series Slow Horses has earned him a richly deserved nomination, while Hiroyuki Sanada and Billy Bob Thornton win respective nods for Shōgun and Landman.

Netflix drama Baby Reindeer has also been acknowledged, with the Richard Gadd written show featuring in the category for Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or Television Motion Picture and its lead actress Jessica Gunning getting a nod in the Best Supporting Female Actor category.

The show will compete alongside the hugely popular Ripley, controversial biopic Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story, True Detective: Night Country, Ripley and The Penguin. 

Baby Reindeer wins another acknowledgement in the opposing Male Actor in a Limited Series category, with Gadd featuring alongside Colin Farrell for The Penguin, Kevin Kline for Disclaimer, Andrew Scott for Ripley, Kevin Kline for Disclaimer and newcomer Cooper Koch for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

Elsewhere Jon M. Chu and Ridley Scott were surprise omissions from  Best Director - Motion Picture category, despite respective blockbusters Wicked and Gladiator II enjoying enormous box office success. 

Instead, Emilia Perez director Jacques Audiard joins Sean Baker for Anora, Edward Berger for Concave, Bradley Corbet for The Brutalist, Coralie Fareget for The Substance and Payal Kapadia for All We Imagine Is Light in a hotly contested six strong group.

Australian actress Cate Blanchett has also been acknowledged, with the serial winner earning a nomination in the Best Female Actor in a Limited Series nomination for her role in Disclaimer. 

She joins Jodie Foster for her triumphant turn in True Detective: Night Country, Naomi Watts for Feud Capote Vs The Swans, Cristin Miloto for The Penguin and British star Kate Winslet for The Regime. 

Jeremy Allen White lands his latest nomination for The Bear, this time in the category for Best Television Male Actor in a Musical/Comedy series. 

The actor joins Adam Brody for Nobody Wants This, Ted Danson for A Man On The Inside,  and Steve Martin and Martin Short for Only Murders In The Building. 

Hollywood legend Kathy Bates also features among this years nominees, with her role in Matlock earning a place in the category for Best Television Female Actor in a Drama Series.

Last year, the Golden Globes proved a successful night for Oppenheimer, which scored five major awards during the ceremony. 

British film-maker Sir Christopher Nolan was named best director for the first time after six nominations, while Irish actor Cillian Murphy took home best actor in a drama for his work as the father of the atomic bomb.

During the event, Cheers legend Ted Danson will receive the Carol Burnett Award for those who have "made outstanding contributions to television on or off screen" and Viola Davis will be handed the Cecil B. DeMille Award for achievement in film.