Jimmy Fallon didn’t get much of a break for his first time hosting the Golden Globes, as a teleprompter malfunction right at the beginning of the show forced him to scramble in front of most of Hollywood’s leading lights.
Fortunately, the equipment was fixed within minutes, and between the show’s “La La Land”-inspired opening extravaganza and Fallon’s rollicking monologue, the technical snafu was more of a speed bump than anything else.
TheWrap was able to confirm from multiple cameramen and technical staffers at the Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom that the teleprompter did indeed go down — it wasn’t just part of the show. According to those sources, the issue came from a cable underneath the main camera platform at the center of the room.
The problem was resolved and the prompter came back after a few minutes, but the episode was certainly not the type of cord-cutting Amazon and Netflix (which are responsible for multiple Golden Globe nominees) have in mind.
And after the teleprompter came back to life, Fallon got right to the heart of his material, which included a surprisingly good Chris Rock impersonation and several veiled shots at another showbiz figure who isn’t fond of teleprompters, President-elect Donald Trump.
Mikey Glazer contributed reporting to this article.
Golden Globes 2017: Red Carpet Arrivals (Photos)
Actress Kerry Washington ("Scandal")
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Actress Sophie Turner ("Game of Thrones")
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Actress Natalie Portman ("Jackie")
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Actress Anna Kendrick ("Trolls")
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Actress Janelle Monáe ("Hidden Figures")
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Actresses Sarah Paulson ("American Horror Story") and Amanda Peet ("Togetherness")
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Actress Brie Larson ("Room")
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Actress Amy Adams ("Arrival")
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Actress Michelle Williams ("Manchester by the Sea")
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Actress Issa Rae ("Insecure")
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Actor Joel Edgerton ("Loving")
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Actor/writer/producer Donald Glover ("Atlanta")
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Actor Jeremy Renner ("Arrival")
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Actress Maisie Williams ("Game of Thrones")
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"Stranger Things" cast
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Actress Priyanka Chopra ("Quantico")
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Actress Ruth Negga ("Loving")
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Actress Kristen Bell ("Bad Moms")
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Heidi Klum
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Actress Chrissy Metz ("This Is Us")
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Actress Lily Collins ("Rules Don't Apply")
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Actress Teresa Palmer ("Hacksaw Ridge")
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Actress Felicity Huffman ("American Crime")
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Actors Sterling K. Brown ("This Is Us") with wife, actress Ryan Michelle Bathe ("This Is Us")
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Miss Golden Globes Sistine Stallon, Scarlet Stallone and Sophia Stallone
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Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel
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Writer/producer John Ridley ("American Crime") with wife Gayle Ridley
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TV personality Giuliana Rancic
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"Atlanta" star LaKeith Stanfield
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Actors Courtney B. Vance ("The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story") and Angela Bassett ("American Horror Story")
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"Today" and "Access Hollywood" anchor Natalie Morales
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Actress Tracee Ellis Ross ("Black-ish")
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Actress Kathryn Hahn ("Transparent")
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Actress Gwendoline Christie ("Game of Thrones")
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Writer/director Jill Soloway
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Actress Amy Landecker ("Transparent")
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Miss USA 2012 Olivia Culpo
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Actress and model Emily Ratajkowski
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"Tonight Show" drummer Questlove
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Actress Anna Chlumsky ("Veep")
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Reality TV star Kristin Cavallari
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Actress Drew Barrymore
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Actress Judith Light ("Transparent")
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Actress Goldie Hawn
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Actress Gillian Anderson ("The X-Files")
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Actor Michael Shannon ("Loving")
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See what the biggest stars of film and TV are wearing as they stroll into the 74th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. TheWrap will continue to update as guests arrive.