Outrage as ‘Best Original Score’ award cut from Golden Globes televised broadcast

12 January 2026, 16:31

Composer Hans Zimmer told Deadline the decision to remove the category “feels a little bit ignorant”.

Ludwig Göransson took home the soundtrack gong for Sinners at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards – but his category was omitted from the TV broadcast.

The ‘Best Original Score’ award was presented in the room at the Beverly Hilton hotel, but was cut by the Golden Globes, Paramount+ and CBS from the televised ceremony due to time constraints.

In a statement, a spokesperson described the Best Score category as a “cornerstone” of the Golden Globes and said it places “tremendous value on this craft and the artists who practice it”.

“We greatly appreciate the composers whose work elevates every project we honor and are grateful for the creativity, skill, and impact this community brings to our industry,” the spokesperson added.

The other nominees for Best Original Score were Hans Zimmer for F1: The Movie, Alexandre Desplat for Frankenstein, Max Richter for Hamnet, Jonny Greenwood for One Battle After Another and Kangding Ray for Sirāt.

When Deadline asked film composer Hans Zimmer about the category being removed, he said it “feels a little bit ignorant”.

Ludwig Göransson poses with Golden Globe

Since a change in ownership in 2023, the Golden Globes has added several new categories including a Best Podcast Award, won by comedian Amy Poehler, which was included in the televised ceremony.

A clip of the win was instead captured and shared on social media, but the Internet has been awash with people querying the Globes’ decision.

Göransson also won the Critics’ Choice award for his Sinners soundtrack, and is widely tipped to win the Academy Award – a gong he has already taken home twice for Oppenheimer (2023) and Black Panther (2018).

In his acceptance speech, the Swedish musician thanked the movie’s cast and crew, including his wife and executive music producer, Serena Göransson, director and long-time friend Ryan Coogler, and Miles Caton, who learned to play guitar in three and a half months before playing live in the film.

He also thanked Wunmi Mosaku, who plays Annie in the film, saying “every time you were on screen, the music was just coming to me, it was so inspiring.”

Watch Ludwig Göransson break down his ‘Sinners’ soundtrack:

Ludwig Göransson breaks down his 'Sinners' soundtrack