Sylvester Stallone’s late-career resurgence continued on Sunday when he won the Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for his moving performance in Creed. The actor began his speech movingly, saying: “I’m gonna try not to get emotional, because I am the sum total of everyone I’ve ever met and I’m lucky to absorb some of it,” before launching into a long list of people (and corporations like MGM) to thank. As the speech wore on, we were all sitting on the edge of our seats, waiting for him to close it out with a gracious shout-out to co-star Michael B. Jordan and director Ryan Coogler, both of whom he’s shown to have forged an adorably affectionate relationship with. And we waited. And waited.
And then, Stallone ended his speech by thanking his “imaginary friend” “best friend he ever had”: Rocky Balboa.
Stallone may have forgotten, but others, like Ava DuVernay, didn’t:
Apparently he immediately realized his mistake after exiting the stage, and thanked Coogler and Jordan during the commercial break that followed, which is sweet. And at 69, he’s certainly not a youngin’ anymore, so his memory is probably not the greatest. Still, forgetting to thank your co-star as well as the guy who is directly responsible for your standing on that stage to begin with—and especially when those two collaborators are people of color—is not a great look. Here’s hoping that should Stallone win on Oscar night, he makes up for that mistake.
