At the 2025 Golden Globes, Kathy Bates was a strong contender for Best Performance by a Female Actress for her role as Madeline Matlock in Matlock, but she lost the award to Anna Sawai, who was recognized for her performance in Shogun. Bates, competing alongside nominees Keira Knightley, Emma D’Arcy, Maya Erskine, and Keri Russell, handled her loss with grace, congratulating Sawai as her name was announced by Salma Hayek and Colman Domingo.
However, things took an interesting turn during Sawai’s heartfelt acceptance speech. A camera captured Bates, just moments into Sawai’s speech, ripping up a piece of paper that held her own acceptance speech. This moment quickly went viral, sparking reactions from fans online who shared and commented on the scene.
Bates made her return to acting in 2024 with Matlock, where she plays Matty, a brilliant septuagenarian who reenters the workforce at a prestigious law firm. Matty uses her sharp wit and intelligence to win cases while secretly harboring a dark past. The plot follows Matty’s journey as she teams up with Olympia, a senior attorney, to expose corruption within the firm, while also catching the attention of Olympia’s ex-husband, Julian.
Despite the loss, Sawai expressed admiration for Bates, offering a shoutout during her acceptance speech. She said, “Thank you to the voters for voting for me, even though I would vote for Kathy Bates any day.”
Matlock premiered on September 22, and all episodes of the first season are now available for streaming on Prime Video.