Something was in the air at the 81st Golden Globe Awards, and it wasn’t just hairspray. As more and more stars hit the red carpet, the normally glowing guest list struggled to make eye contact with the cameras, seemingly on the verge of tears. Attendees like Amanda Seyfried smiled at the camera through red, watery eyes (admittedly complimenting her mauve smoky eye), while Natalie Portman looked mildly forlorn through similarly subtle tears.
Upon noticing all the irritated eyeballs, internet theories quickly began to roll in. Spectators on TikTok wondered if the Golden Globes might’ve shown the actors a heartbreaking film prior to the event. Others suspected the color of their makeup could be making the irritation look worse than it actually was. Or perhaps the stars simply didn’t want to be out that night.
Our theory lies with Mother Nature. As evidenced by Jennifer Aniston‘s windy stint on the red carpet, the 45 degree Los Angeles weather was fairly tumultuous leading up to the ceremony. High winds and cold air could definitely explain the tears and redness, with one commenter adding that celebs might not have blinked as much for the sake of photos (possibly exacerbating dryness and irritation).
“I work down the street from where the Golden Globes are held and it was VERY cold and windy in LA yesterday,” one helpful internet detective wrote on TikTok. Other LA residents agreed, saying, “LA is experiencing some of the heaviest winds ever. There are curtains of pollen outside. Everyone looks like this.” We’re no Bill Nye, but the science definitely seems to check out, with the LA Times officially reporting “dangerous winds” the night of the ceremony. In combination with heavy eye makeup, arid weather, and flashing camera lights, it’s surprising there were any dry eyes in the house. Consider this case closed.