Why Ali Wong Thanked Ex-Husband Justin Hakuta During Golden Globes Speech
Ali Wong has no bad blood with her estranged husband, Justin Hakuta — and her Golden Globes speech proved it.
“That’s right, I like to keep it peaceful and grateful and amicable,” Wong, 41, told Entertainment Tonight following her win on Sunday, January 7.
Wong took home the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television award for her role in Beef. When her name was called, the comedian kissed boyfriend Bill Hader before thanking Hakuta, also 41, in her acceptance speech.
“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.”
Shannon Finney/Getty Images; Warner Bros. The 81st annual Golden Globes officially kicked off the 2024 awards season on Sunday, January 7, with Hollywood’s hottest stars stepping out for the big night. Nominations were announced in December 2023. Barbie and Succession earned the most nods for film and TV, respectively, with nine each. Oppenheimer trailed closely […]
In April 2022, news broke that Wong and Hakuta had split after eight years of marriage. (The former couple shares two daughters, Mari, 8, and Nikki, 6.)
More than a year later, Us Weekly confirmed in December 2023 that Wong had officially filed for divorce from Hakuta. Their date of separation was listed as April 2022.
She cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split and requested joint legal and physical custody of their daughters, according to court documents obtained by Us. The filing noted that she and Hakuta are in mediation regarding spousal support and splitting assets.
“I did not expect the announcement to be so widespread, but by far the hardest part about getting divorced was my mother’s reaction,” Wong told The Hollywood Reporter in February 2023 about her and Hakuta’s split. “I had told her before that I thought we might get divorced, and she was really upset.”
Wong said her mom had asked her to “wait” for the divorce. She added, “She was literally asking me to not live a life for myself. But she’s 82, what do I expect? She hasn’t had her period in 40 years. She’s in the sha-ha-hallows of senior citizenship. But it was still really f–king hard dealing with all her fear of the shame it would bring her.”
Bill Hader and Ali Wong are a match made in comedy heaven. Hader and Wong were both married to other people before they were first linked in 2022. Hader wed director Maggie Carey in 2006 and welcomed three daughters: Hayley, Hannah and Harper. News broke in 2017 that the pair had split after more than […]
In the aftermath of her separation, Wong moved on with Hader, 45. They were first linked in late 2022 but quickly split. In April 2023, Hader hinted that they had reconciled.
“My girlfriend and I were just figuring out that I haven’t had a vacation in 10 years. I went with her to San Francisco, but that doesn’t really count,” he told Collider without revealing Wong’s name. “So, I’m going to have a vacation. I need to go into sponge mode, where I’m watching stuff and reading.”
Hader’s rep confirmed to Us at the time that he was referring to Wong. A source told Us that same month that Hader and Wong are “actually perfect” for each other.
Since then, the duo’s romance has continued to blossom as the couple showed each other major support during Sunday’s Golden Globes. Wong and Hader kissed to celebrate her win. She was also there for the comedian after he lost the award for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy for Barry to Jeremy Allen White, who won for his role in The Bear.
