Ali Wong Surprised Fans By Thanking Her Ex-Husband In Her Golden Globes Acceptance Speech

Comedian and actor Ali Wong made history at the 2024 Golden Globes after winning the Best Female Actor in a Limited Series award for her performance in Netflix’s road rage drama Beef. She became the first woman of Asian descent to win in the category.

While no one was shocked that Wong took home the trophy for the popular and binge-able series, viewers were puzzled by her short but poignant acceptance speech where she gave a shoutout to her ex-husband, Justin Hakuta.

“I really need to thank the father of my children and my best friend, Justin, for all of your love and support,” she said. “It’s because of you that I’m able to be a working mother.”

And that’s on healthy co-parenting!

Wong and Hakuta, 41, share daughters Mari, 8, and Nikki, 6. The two split in April 2022 after eight years of marriage.

Wong showed that despite differences of opinion and a marriage that didn’t quite work out, crediting the father of your children for helping you achieve success in your career can be done in a classy and matter-of-fact way.

Viewers were also taken aback by her speech, mainly focused on her gratitude for her ex-husband, due to her public kiss with boyfriend and Barry actor Bill Hader before accepting the award. The kiss seemingly confirmed that the two were, in fact, an item after much speculation.

The couple, rumored to have been dating for months, have been spotted out and about holding hands in Los Angeles before the award show, as reported by People.

In a May interview with Variety, Wong confirmed she was “not single” anymore but that she’d been “single for a long time after I got divorced.”

She added that it had felt “compelling” to talk about her life as a single woman when doing standup and that it still felt “strange” that her romantic life was discussed by the public.

“What’s strange is now my romantic life is public information,” she told the outlet. “For me, stand-up is still an abstraction of truth — it does not represent the whole me. Out of respect for my relationship, I have to practice putting them in the past tense.”