Teyana Taylor made history at the 2026 Golden Globes, and she did it her way. With confidence, humor, and raw emotion, the multihyphenate star claimed her first-ever Golden Globe win and delivered one of the night’s most memorable speeches.
Taylor, 35, won Best Supporting Actress for her role in One Battle After Another on Sunday, Jan. 11, beating out a stacked category that included Emily Blunt, Elle Fanning, Ariana Grande, Amy Madigan, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas. It was a career-defining moment for an artist who has long moved between music, film, fashion, and dance without ever fitting neatly into one box.
She opened her acceptance speech with a laugh, drawing attention to the bedazzled crystal thong peeking from the back of her gown. Teyana Taylor playfully turned for the cameras at the start of her speech to take a look at a daring cutout featuring a “whale tail” crystal thong. “Wait, see my body in the back,” she joked, turning slightly as the audience reacted.
As the significance of the win settled in, the thirty-five-year-old star became visibly choked up, her voice trembling as she realized she was no longer just the “girl from Harlem” with a dream, but a peer among the elite of cinema.
She gave a heartfelt shoutout to her children, who she said were watching from upstairs. “Y’all better be off those damn phones and watching me right now,” she quipped, drawing laughter before quickly returning to sincerity. She thanked her parents and her close circle, calling them her grounding force during moments of doubt and transition.
Teyana Taylor also acknowledged director Paul Thomas Anderson, whose trust helped shape her performance. “To Paul ‘Let ’Em Cook’ Thomas Anderson, thank you for your vision, your trust, and your brilliance,” she said. “My gratitude is endless. Thank you for holding space for me and for our entire cast.”
But it was the final moments of her speech that truly landed.
Speaking directly to Black women and girls watching at home, Teyana reminded them that softness is not weakness. That depth is not something to apologize for. That their light does not require permission to shine. Her voice steadied as she spoke, turning a personal win into a communal one.
In One Battle After Another, Teyana Taylor plays Perfidia Beverly Hills, a revolutionary navigating motherhood, trauma, and identity alongside a fellow vigilante, Leonardo DiCaprio. The role explores postpartum depression and emotional erasure, themes Teyana has spoken about candidly. She previously shared that Perfidia’s journey was rooted in feeling unseen and unheard, a reflection that added layers to her performance and, now, to her win.
