The 1st award at the Golden Globes was nearly a disaster due to a 'technical problem,' but Daniel Kaluuya was still able to accept his award

• The 2021 Golden Globes got off to an awkward start after Daniel Kaluuya was muted during his speech.
• Kaluuya won for best supporting actor in a film, but the first moments of his speech were inaudible.
• Presenter Laura Dern blamed a "bad connection," but Kaluuya was able to finish accepting his award.

The 78th annual Golden Globes encountered a significant "technical problem" during the first few moments of the show - causing winner Daniel Kaluuya's audio to be muted during his acceptance speech.

The British actor, who was "attending" the awards show virtually like many of the evening's nominees, won the night's first award (best supporting actor in a drama film) for his role in "Judas and the Black Messiah." But when Kaluuya attempted to give his acceptance speech, the audio on his video was inaudible.

After a few awkward moments, presenter Laura Dern told viewers, "As you can see, we unfortunately have a bad connection."

"We apologize for that technical problem and send all of our congratulations to Daniel on his Golden Globe win," she added.

But after a round of applause and a short burst of music, Kaluuya's video returned along with his audio.

"You did me dirty! You did me dirty!" the actor said to more applause. "Am I on? Is this on? Is this on?"

After confirming that his audio was indeed working, Kaluuya continued with his speech, thanking his cast and crew.

"It takes a village to raise a film. I'd like to thank our leader… ["Judas" director] Shaka King," he began.

Kaluuya also offered praise to Fred Hampton, the activist and Illinois Black Panther Party Chairman whom he portrayed in "Judas and the Black Messiah."

"I gave everything. I couldn't give it to a more noble man," the star said of his performance as Hampton. "I hope generations after this get to see how brilliantly he thought and how brilliantly he spoke and how brilliantly he loved."

Kaluuya said Hampton "taught me about myself and made me grow as a man," and ended his speech with a cheeky nod to the other nominees (including Bill Murray, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Jared Leto) in his category.

"I can't believe I'm on Zoom with Bill Murray," Kaluuya joked.

Fans reacted to Kaluuya's win (and the awkward technically difficulty) on social media.

Other winners at the 78th annual Golden Globes, hosted by Tina Fey from New York City and Amy Poehler from Los Angeles, include John Boyega, Catherine O'Hara, and Mark Ruffalo.