• Small fire breaks out backstage at the Golden Globes and is quickly extinguished
• Sean Penn lights a cigarette at his table during the show amid audience laughter

A sudden incident occurred backstage during the Golden Globes ceremony when a small fire ignited in the press room.

Journalist Chris Gardner, who shared footage of the incident on X, said that a catering staff member accidentally knocked over a lit sterno, a canned fuel used to heat food.

He added that the carpet caught fire “for a brief moment” while “smoke rose around the corners,” noting that the fire was quickly extinguished and no one appeared to be injured.

Elsewhere inside the venue, actor Sean Penn seemed unwilling to let the ceremony stop him from smoking.

Media reports said the 65-year-old actor was seen lighting a cigarette at his table during the show.

The source noted that “several guests were looking for a place to smoke outside the theater, but one director told me he saw him light up inside the hall, right at his table.”

This was not the first time Penn ignored smoking rules, as he had previously smoked during an appearance on a show with Stephen Colbert in 2018.

He was also observed chain-smoking during a press conference at an international film festival in 2024.

The cigarette may have been an attempt to calm his nerves, especially after a playful moment earlier in the evening when host Nikki Glaser directed jokes at the Oscar winner.

The joke triggered laughter from the audience, and Glaser quickly softened it, assuring him that his look was “great.”

Penn appeared to take the joke in stride, smiling and laughing along with the crowd.