Judd Apatow Reveals the Real Reason He Spent a Decade Avoiding the Golden Globes

Judd Apatow has finally said out loud what he apparently could not let go of for a decade—a silent one-man boycott of the Golden Globes. And honestly, he did it in classic Apatow fashion: publicly, onstage, while presenting an award, and with his usual straight-faced, slightly savage sense of humor.

'I’VE BEEN BOYCOTTING, BUT NOBODY NOTICED'

So here’s how it played out: While handing out the Golden Globe for Best Director, Apatow decided to air his long-held grudge. He admitted:

'I’ve been boycotting the ceremony for about 10 years. A very quiet boycott—no one seems to have noticed. We’ve had beef ever since my film “Trainwreck” lost best comedy to Ridley Scott’s “The Martian”.'

Yep, you read that right. Apatow lost the comedy award to a movie about a guy farming potatoes on Mars. Not exactly Bridesmaids material, but apparently the Hollywood Foreign Press thought Matt Damon's sense of humor while facing certain death (and disco music) was just what they were looking for in a comedy.

THE 'COMEDY' OF RIDLEY SCOTT

Apatow also couldn’t resist a little shade for Ridley Scott, who, in Apatow’s words, is America’s favorite comedy director—especially known for gems like Gladiator, Blade Runner, and Alien. He joked about waiting for the upcoming Best Comedy win for 'Hamnet,' highlighting how blurry (and, honestly, borderline hilarious) the Golden Globe categories can get.

PUTTING THE 'BEEF' TO BED (SORT OF)

After venting, Apatow made a show out of resolving his issues—at least for the cameras. He mentioned all the chaos that's unfolded since Mark Watney's potato farm swept the comedy category (COVID, a bit of political upheaval, etc.), then joked:

'And I’m still pretty focused on this Martian thing. I gotta be honest with you.'

In the biggest non-scandal of the night, Apatow decided to 'inspire America' and call a truce with Ridley Scott right before giving the award to Paul Thomas Anderson. For the record, there was never any indication Scott even knew about the 'beef' in the first place.

BUT SERIOUSLY, WHY WAS 'THE MARTIAN' A COMEDY?

If you were confused back in 2016, you weren't alone. Here’s a quick rundown of why The Martian ended up in the Musical/Comedy category in the first place:

• 2015 was stacked with heavy drama contenders (think The Revenant, Spotlight, Mad Max: Fury Road—no laugh riots there).
• Back then, studios had a lot of leeway in deciding where to position their movies for the Golden Globes.
• Instead of going up against the sobfests of the year, Fox decided to call The Martian a comedy because Matt Damon's optimistic space castaway cracked a few jokes between near-death experiences.
• It actually worked: The Martian (and Damon) both won big in the comedy field.
• Judd Apatow was not thrilled—and he wasn’t alone. The backlash was so strong, the Golden Globes changed the rules the very next year ('The Martian Rule'): if your movie is a drama with a few gags, don’t bother submitting it as a comedy.

BASIC DETAILS (FOR THOSE WHO WANT RECEIPTS)

The Martian (2015)
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig
IMDb Rating: 8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Box Office: $630 million worldwide
Produced by: Scott Free Productions
Streaming: Fubo (at the moment)

THE TAKEAWAY

Ten years is a long time to quietly hold a grudge over a trophy, but you have to respect Apatow's commitment—even if the rest of Hollywood had no idea. Look, the Golden Globes have a history of playing fast and loose with their categories; at least one extremely persistent filmmaker will never let them forget it.