Dec. 8, 2025, 10:39 a.m. ET
Marlon Wayans isn’t hosting the Golden Globes, but perhaps he should’ve done his homework anyway.
The award-winning actor and comedian drew the ire of social media after flubbing the names of several celebrities during the 2026 Golden Globes nominations announcement on Monday, Dec. 8. Wayans, 53, cohosted the ceremony alongside “Matlock” star Skye P. Marshall.
The “White Chicks” star notably struggled to pronounce the names of the composers for the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack hit “Golden,” which included Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, Park Hong Jun, Kim Eun-jae (Ejae) and Mark Sonnenblick.
Wayans quickly attempted to make light of his hosting faux pas. “Somebody’s mama at home right now [is] going, ‘What, who?'”
The comedian’s troubles didn’t end there, however. Wayans also botched household names such as “Sentimental Value” star Elle Fanning, who was nominated for best supporting actress, and “The Bear” actress Ayo Edebiri, who scored a best actress in a musical or comedy TV series nod for her role on the FX dramedy.
Meanwhile, Wayans’ fellow presenter Marshall appeared to ace her hosting assignment, which prompted Wayans at one point to say, “You could read, girl. Damn!”
The 83rd Golden Globe Awards will air Jan. 11 and be hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser. The ceremony is set to air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ (8 p.m. ET/5 PT).
Marlon Wayans blasted online after ‘butchering’ Golden Globes nominees’ names
Despite Wayans’ best efforts, the consensus was swift on the comedian’s error-riddled hosting.
“Jesus Christ. Marlon Wayans making fun of the funny ‘hard-to-pronounce’ foreign names at the Golden Globes. Are we still doing this?” @DonaldClarke63 wrote.
“Sorry to all the hard-working artists and film industry people who made dreams come true today just for Marlon Wayans to slaughter and butcher all your names,” @madrouterx commented.
“Marlon Wayans mispronouncing international actors/production people and then made a mockery in all of them. I’m not surprised,” @popoynot wrote.
“Marlon Wayans butchering every single name like no matter what language,” @adnelora quipped alongside a GIF of someone laughing.
“Wow. Marlon Wayans just can’t read,” @rendy_jones wrote. “He’s the new Lea Michele.”
Contributing: Brian Truitt, USA TODAY
