Ryan Murphy Honors His "Fearless" Heroes in Emotional 2023 Golden Globes Speech

Ryan Murphy received the Carol Burnett Award at the 2023 Golden Globes in recognition of his television career. See what the television producer said in his acceptance speech below.

Ryan Murphy is having a gleefully good time at the 2023 Golden Globes.

At the annual award show, Murphy—the creator behind hit shows such as Glee and American Horror History—was honored with the Carol Burnett Award for his contributions to television and in recognition of his riveting storytelling. 

In his acceptance speech, Murphy chose to shine a spotlight on his "fearless" colleagues and his trailblazing "heroes": Jeremy Pope, MJ Rodriguez, Billy Porter, Matt Bomer and Niecy Nash-Betts.

He began by asking for a standing ovation for Rodriguez, who became the first trans actress to win a Golden Globe in 2022, though the historic moment was not televised. "Let's give her the ovation she deserves," he told the crowd to applause. 

Murphy next shouted out Porter, "one of the most iconic actors of his generation."

"Billy Porter has changed our perceptions by changing fashion. He did this," Murphy said, adding that the Pose star "whipped up this fuchsia replica" of his Oscars gown for the occasion.

As for Nash-Betts, he praised her coming out journey and for finding her wife Jessica Betts. "Niecy Nash chose love not fear," he said. And now, "she's had the biggest year of her entire career." 

He went on to reflect on his own experience. "When I was a young person at home in the 70s," Murphy recalled, "I never ever saw a person like me getting an award... It's hard being an LGBTQ kid in America." 

For the kids watching tonight, he said, "there is a way forward," advising them to use his five friends as their "North stars."

Previous recipients of the coveted award include Ellen DeGeneres and Norman Lear.

"Ryan Murphy not only continues to enthrall audiences with his work on some of the most thrilling and exciting series of the century but also continues to inspire all with his work off the screen," Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Helen Hoehne previously said. "His work and storytelling ability throughout different film and television genres have led to highly acclaimed achievements and awards."

At the Jan. 10 show, Murphy was also nominated for Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for his thriller Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Going into the night, Murphy had one win for The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story and four other nominations. This year, he was up against Black Bird, Pam and Tommy, The Dropout and The White Lotus: Sicily.

Though he's received incredible recognition for his work, getting here was not easy feat.

"Those early years were very, very, very hard," he told the New York Times in October, "because I would want to write gay characters or women, other marginalized groups, and straight men wearing Dockers in power would say, ‘No, people don't want to see that.'"

As Murphy has persisted on with creating greater representation in television, his goal has been to "take the people that in another person's work would have been the sidekicks, the misfits, the marginalized people you laugh at, and to center the story around them."

Keep scrolling to find out the 2023 Golden Globes winners.

Best Motion Picture, Drama

Avatar: The Way of Water
Elvis
WINNER: The Fabelmans
Tár
Top Gun: Maverick

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Babylon
WINNER: The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Triangle of Sadness

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Diego Calva, Babylon
Daniel Craig, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Adam Driver, White Noise
WINNER: Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
Ralph Fiennes, The Menu

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Lesley Manville, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Margot Robbie, Babylon
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu
Emma Thompson, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
WINNER: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

WINNER: Cate Blanchett, Tár
Olivia Colman, Empire of Light
Viola Davis, The Woman King
Ana De Armas, Blonde
Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

WINNER: Austin Butler, Elvis
Brendan Fraser, The Whale
Hugh Jackman, The Son
Bill Nighy, Living
Jeremy Pope, The Inspection

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

WINNER: Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin
Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Dolly de Leon, Triangle of Sadness
Carey Mulligan, She Said

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin
Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin
Brad Pitt, Babylon
WINNER: Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Eddie Redmayne, The Good Nurse

 

Best Director, Motion Picture

James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water
The Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Baz Luhrmann, Elvis
Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
WINNER: Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans

 

Best Original Song, Motion Picture

"Carolina" by Taylor Swift, from Where the Crawdads Sing
"Ciao Papa" by Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Gullermo del Toro from Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
"Hold My Hand" by Lady Gaga, BloodPop, Benjamin Rice from Top Gun: Maverick
"Lift Me Up" by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
WINNER: "Naatu Naatu" by M.M. Keeravani, Kala Bhairava, Rahul Sipligunj from RRR

Best Television Series, Drama

Better Call Saul
The Crown
WINNER: House of the Dragon
Ozark
Severance

Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy

WINNER: Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Hacks
Only Murders in the Building
Wednesday

Best Actress in a Television Series, Drama

Emma D'Arcy, House of the Dragon
Laura Linney, Ozark
Imelda Staunton, The Crown
Hilary Swank, Alaska Daily
WINNER: Zendaya, Euphoria

Best Actor in a Television Series, Drama

Jeff Bridges, The Old Man
WINNER: Kevin Costner, Yellowstone
Diego Luna, Andor
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Adam Scott, Severance

Best Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy

WINNER: Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building
Jenna Ortega, Wednesday
Jean Smart, Hacks

Best Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy

Donald Glover, Atlanta
Bill Hader, Barry
Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
WINNER: Jeremy Allen White, The Bear

Best Limited Series or TV Movie

Black Bird
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Pam and Tommy
The Dropout
WINNER: The White Lotus: Sicily

Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Jessica Chastain, George & Tammy
Julia Garner, Inventing Anna
Lily James, Pam & Tommy
Julia Roberts, Gaslit
WINNER: Amanda Seyfried, The Dropout

Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Taron Egerton, Black Bird
Colin Firth, The Staircase
Andrew Garfield, Under the Banner of Heaven
WINNER: Evan Peters, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Sebastian Stan, Pam and Tommy

 

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie

F. Murray Abraham, The White Lotus
Domhnall Gleeson, The Patient
WINNER: Paul Walter Hauser, Black Bird
Richard Jenkins, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Seth Rogen, Pam & Tommy

 

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie

WINNER: Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus
Claire Danes, Fleishman Is in Trouble
Daisy Edgar-Jones, Under the Banner of Heaven
Niecy Nash-Betts, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Aubrey Plaza, The White Lotus

 

Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series

John Lithgow, The Old Man
Jonathan Pryce, The Crown
John Turturro, Severance
WINNER: Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Henry Winkler, Barry

 

Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series

Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
WINNER: Julia Garner, Ozark
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary

 

Best Motion Picture, Animated  

WINNER: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Turning Red

 

Best Original Score, Motion Picture

Alexandre Desplat, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
Hildur Guðnadóttir, Women Talking 
WINNER: Justin Hurwitz, Babylon
John Williams, The Fabelmans 
Carter Burwell, The Banshees of Inisherin

 

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture

Todd Field, Tár 
Tony Kushner & Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
WINNER: Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
Sarah Polley, Women Talking

 

Check out E! Online's 2024 Golden Globe Awards page for a full recap of this year's ceremony and the best moments from the show and red carpet..