The “Jay Kelly” star and president have been trading barbs ever since Clooney and his family were granted French citizenship last month.

George Clooney takes subtle swipe at Trump in Golden Globes speech that viewers might have missed

The "Jay Kelly" star and president have been trading barbs ever since Clooney and his family were granted French citizenship last month.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.

EW's editorial guidelines

January 12, 2026 11:02 a.m. ET

George Clooney; Donald Trump. Credit:

Rich Polk/Getty; Anna Moneymaker/Getty

George Clooney kept it classy while presenting at the 2026 Golden Globes Sunday night, but not without a little jab at his recent critics.

The *Jay Kelly* star took the stage during the star-studded 83rd annual ceremony with his *Oceans Eleven* costar Don Cheadle to present the last award of the night for Best Picture — Drama. Before he and Cheadle went into their bit — which ** dubbed one of the best moments of the night — Clooney greeted the audience by speaking to them in French.

"Bonsoir, mes amis," Clooney began, wishing his friends in the crowd a good evening. "C'est un honneur d'être ici. (It's an honor to be here.)"

Cheadle threw in some French as well, wishing Clooney a good evening with a "Bonsoir."

George Clooney at the 83rd Annual Golden Globes on Jan. 11, 2026.

Rich Polk/Getty

The moment was a nod to the news that Clooney, his wife, Amal Alamuddin, now Amal Clooney, and their 8-year-old twins, had been granted French citizenship late last month per a naturalization decree viewed by EW.

Clooney, who was born in Kentucky, also has U.S. citizenship, which French law allows him to retain.

While Clooney has long been vocal about his appreciation for the privacy living in France has afforded him and his family, the news of his French citizenship drew a bit of snark from his critics, most notably from Donald Trump.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

Clooney attracted Trump's ire after he called out major media corporations ABC and CBS for acquiescing to Trump via lawsuit settlements during a time the star deemed particularly precarious.

"If CBS and ABC had challenged those lawsuits and said, 'Go f--- yourself,' we wouldn't be where we are in the country. That's simply the truth," Clooney declared, adding that he's grown more concerned about Trump's increasing influence over the media as David Ellison, Paramount Skydance's new owner, has seemingly been shaping CBS News' coverage in a more MAGA-friendly way.

After the news of the Clooney family's new citizenship made headlines, Trump shared a message posted to Truth Social that reads, "Good News! George and Amal Clooney, two of the worst political prognosticators of all time, have officially become citizens of France which is, sadly, in the midst of a major crime problem because of their absolutely horrendous handling of immigration, much like we had under Sleepy Joe Biden."

Amal Clooney and George Clooney attend the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 11, 2026.

Monica Schipper/Getty

"Clooney got more publicity for politics than he did for his very few, and totally mediocre movies," Trump continued. "He wasn’t a movie star at all, he was just an average guy who complained, constantly, about common sense in politics. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Days later, EW obtained a statement from the 64-year-old actor in response to the president's criticism. "I totally agree with the current president. We have to make America great again," Clooney's statement reads, referencing Trump's signature slogan, before looking ahead to midterm elections. "We’ll start in November."

The French government also weighed in following the citizenship news. “We are delighted, like many French people, to welcome George and Amal Clooney into the national community," said the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in a statement on Dec. 31.

*See the full list of Golden Globes 2026 winners*.**

- Awards Shows & Events

- Golden Globes

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Golden”