Ryan Murphy's Golden Globes Speech Dedicated to LGBTQ Actors—Full Statement

Ryan Murphy received the Carol Burnett Award at the 2023 Golden Globes show on Tuesday and dedicated his speech to LGBTQ actors he's worked with.

Murphy has written and produced a slew of successful TV shows, including Glee, Scream Queens, American Horror Story, The New Normal, Pose and The Watcher, which was recently renewed for a second season on Netflix.

The 80th Golden Globe Awards, held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, was hosted by comedian Jerrod Carmichael after a TV hiatus last year. Actor Billy Porter presented his "friend" Murphy with the coveted award, which prompted a burst of applause from the audience.

In his approximately eight-minute-long acceptance speech, Murphy, 57, spoke highly of Porter as well as other performers, including Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Niecy Nash, Matt Bomer and Jeremy Pope. Here's what he told the audience.

Ryan Murphy's Speech in Full

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you. OK, here's how I'd like to start. A year ago, the Golden Globes weren't televised, but the show did go on. And I was so thrilled when it was announced that [Rodriguez] from my show Pose had been awarded best actress in a drama series. In doing so, M.J. from Newark, New Jersey became the first trans actress ever to win a Golden Globe. And I thought, Wow, how I would have loved for M.J. to be on this stage getting the standing ovation she deserved for making history. And I'm thrilled to say that M.J. is one of my guests tonight—she's here at my table. So M.J., please stand up and let's give her the ovation that she deserves to hear.

"So I had the joy of working with and directing Carol Burnett on Glee long ago, and she's one of my idols. And tonight's award made me reflect on what a lifetime of achievement really is. You get there, I think, by being fearless, like these following people who are here tonight, all heroes of mine. And I'm going to start by talking about the amazing achievement Billy Porter's entire life has been.

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Billy was constantly told that he was not worthy. Said Billy: 'When I demanded to be seen as a three-dimensional human being, the work dried up.' But Billy Porter kept at it, and now he's one of the most iconic actors of his generation with two Tonys, a Grammy and an Emmy Award for Pose to show for it. More than that, Billy Porter has changed our perceptions by changing fashion. He did this, he's the one who ushered in this new movement by wearing a black, velvet tuxedo gown on the Oscars' red carpet. I asked him to wear that outfit tonight, and he said, 'B****, it's in a museum.' But he whipped up this fuchsia replica for me, and I love it and I love him. Thank you, Billy.

"Where are you? I also think tonight of the achievements of Niecy Nash's life. Born in L.A., a mother of three, she was told only a couple of years ago when she wanted to marry the love of her life, Jessica [Betts], that she couldn't, shouldn't do that. She might never work again, her community and her industry would abandon her. Niecy Nash chose love, not fear, and tonight she's Golden Globe nominee Niecy Nash Betts, and she's had the biggest year of her entire career with Dahmer and The Rookie: Feds. Niecy, I love you.

"Just like Niecy, Matt Bomer of Spring, Texas, was told as a young man with big dreams to never come out, to lie. The audience might not believe you as an actor. Well to me, Matt is an action hero in life. He has now defied the ridiculous rules that have been in place for almost a century. He's played the action star and the romantic lead and been in acclaimed dramatic projects along the way, winning a Golden Globe for my movie The Normal Heart. Matt, I love you. Thank you for being here for me.

"And although he is very young, the achievements of Jeremy Pope astound me. From Orlando, Florida, Jeremy was also told growing up to deny who he was. But Jeremy refused to hide. He's been nominated for a Tony Award twice in one year was nominated for lead actor Emmy for my show Hollywood, and tonight he's nominated for a Golden Globe for The Inspection and then hopefully onto a well-deserved Oscar nomination. Jeremy Pope is the future.

"I've dedicated most of my lifetime achievement speech here tonight to these wonderful actors I've worked with to make a point of hope and progress. When I was a young person at home in the '70s watching The Carol Burnett Show, I never ever saw a person like me getting an award or even being a character on a TV show. It's hard being an LGBTQ kid in America, in fact all over the world then and now. And I have one word for you: Florida. You are often told you will never become anything, you have to hide your light to survive. But for those kids watching tonight, I offer up M.J. and Billy and Niecy and Matt and Jeremy as examples of possibility. There is a way forward. Use them as your North Stars.

"For 25 years, that's all I've ever tried to do here in Hollywood. My mission was to take the invisible, the unloved, and make them the heroes I longed to see but never did in pop culture. And I would like to thank the architects of my wonderful, crazy career: Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane, Simon Halls, Joe Cohen, Craig Emanuel and Harley Neuman. And also none of the shows that I've made that have attempted to change hearts and minds all over the world would have been made without the love and vision support of Dana Walden and John Landgraf. Where are you? You're somewhere. And Ted Sarandos and Bela Bajaria.

"I'd also like to say thank you to my team that keeps the trains running on time. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the incredible, iconic talents who have bet on me repeatedly through thick and thin: Jessica Lange, Julia Roberts, Lady Gaga, Leslie Grossman, Billie Lourd, Sarah Paulson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuk, and some special people who I love who are in this room tonight: Jamie Lee Curtis, Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance, Carl Franklin, Paris Barclay, Ian Brennan, Alexis Martin Woodall, Jennifer Coolidge, Richard Jenkins and the incredible Evan Peters.

"Then there's my family, who I love very much, my better half David Miller, Dana and Matt Walden, Bart Brown and my children—I can't believe I get to say that onstage—Logan, Ford and Griffin. Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press [Association], to Brian Robbins, my first director, to Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner, my first producers, and to Steven Spielberg, who bought my very first script back when God was a boy years ago.

"Lastly, one of the most incredible things about working with Carol Burnett is you could ask her anything. One day, we were sitting around during a lighting setup, and I asked her why she tugged her ear at the end of every show. What did that mean? She laughed and said it was a secret signal to her beloved grandmother Mabel, a way to say hi and that all is good. So this is for Myrtle. Thank you."

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