Long-time smoker Sean Penn apparently couldn’t make it through the 2026 Golden Globes without a nicotine fix.
According to Vanity Fair, Penn was spotted lighting up at his table inside the theater. “Several guests have been looking for a spot to smoke outside, but one director told me he saw Penn just light up inside, right at his table,” the outlet reported. The Daily Mail reached out to Penn’s representatives for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Penn, 65, isn’t new to smoking in public. He famously puffed away during a 2018 Late Show with Stephen Colbert interview and chain-smoked at a 2024 press conference for the Marrakech International Film Festival. Perhaps the cigarette helped him unwind after host Nikki Glaser playfully roasted him during her opening monologue.
Glaser first targeted Penn’s appearance, dubbing him a “sexy leather handbag” for bucking Hollywood’s obsession with youth. “Everyone in this town is obsessed with looking younger. Meanwhile, Sean Penn is like, ‘What if I slowly morph into a sexy leather handbag?’” she quipped. As the audience erupted in laughter, Glaser reassured the Oscar-winning actor that his look was “hot” and “good.”
The jokes didn’t stop at Penn’s wardrobe. Glaser turned to his humanitarian work in conflict zones like Russia, Venezuela, and Cuba, teasing that he goes to these places “to do cocaine.” “A lot of actors talk the talk, but Sean Penn actually goes to the places in the world that need help the most—and he will do cocaine there,” she said, prompting Penn to chuckle along. Glaser even joked she had to get “permission” for the joke from Penn’s “best friends” Charlie Sheen and El Chapo.
Glaser’s opening monologue set the tone for a bold ceremony. She kicked off with a joke about Epstein files, roasted CBS News, and playfully ribbed Leonardo DiCaprio for his reputation dating younger women. “Countless iconic performances, three Golden Globes, and an Oscar,” she said of DiCaprio’s film One Battle After Another, “but the most impressive thing is you accomplished all that before your girlfriend turned 30.” DiCaprio, currently dating 27-year-old Italian supermodel Vittoria Ceretti, laughed along as Glaser apologized, claiming she had “searched” for more about his private life but could only find a 1991 Teen Beat interview.
Timothée Chalamet stole the acting spotlight at the Golden Globes, winning Best Actor for Marty Supreme and surpassing DiCaprio as the Oscar favorite. However, One Battle After Another triumphed as the night’s most awarded film, taking home four wins, including Best Picture – Comedy or Musical, Best Director, and Best Screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson, along with a surprise Best Supporting Actress win for Teyana Taylor.
On the drama side, Hamnet—directed by Chloe Zhao and starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal—claimed Best Picture, with Buckley also winning Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
Television honors went to The Pitt (Drama), The Studio (Comedy or Musical), and Netflix’s Adolescence (Limited Series), which swept multiple categories. Sixteen-year-old Owen Cooper became one of the youngest Golden Globe winners ever for his supporting role, and Erin Doherty also earned a supporting actress win. Noah Wyle won Best Actor in a TV Drama for The Pitt, which also took home Best TV Series – Drama. Seth Rogen was recognized for his performance in The Studio, which earned Best TV Series – Musical or Comedy.
It was a night full of laughs, surprises, and unforgettable moments—plus, apparently, a cigarette or two for Sean Penn.
