Paul Thomas Anderson, Maya Rudolph Share Rare Kiss After Globes Win

Paul Thomas Anderson and Maya Rudolph are having one adorable moment after another.

Fans were delighted when Paul and his partner shared a kiss after he won the Best Screenplay award for One Battle After Another at the 2026 Golden Globes on January 11th. They repeated the affectionate gesture when he later accepted the award for Best Director.

When Paul’s name was announced as the winner for Best Screenplay by Macaulay Culkin, he turned to his partner of over 25 years and they shared a kiss. Later, Maya, his partner, kissed him again after Judd Apatow announced his win for Best Director. (You can find a complete list of winners here.)

Although Paul didn’t mention Maya in his acceptance speeches, he did thank his fellow cast members, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti, and Regina Hall.

He explained to the audience that a piece of work truly comes alive when it moves beyond being just something he created in private and is brought to life by actors performing it.

He’s also incredibly close to Maya, and they share four children: Pearl, who is 20, Lucille, 16, Jack, 14, and Minnie, 12.

He actually joked about our family being like the Von Trapps in a 2018 interview with the LA Times, which I thought was perfect! He admitted he wasn’t super familiar with The Sound of Music, but he described a scene from You Can’t Take It with You that really captured our life. He said it was like walking into a house full of family, with everyone doing their own thing – one person playing the piano, another on the drums, someone else singing. It’s wonderfully chaotic, and that’s exactly what it’s like here!

Despite the initial confusion, the director of Inherent Vice quickly realized Maya would be important to him, and he shared the story of how they first connected.

Maya recalled that her future husband once told her he’d seen her in a drawing and decided she was the woman he wanted to marry. However, she admitted to Town & Country in 2024 that she wasn’t sure if the story was true, suggesting he might have just been trying to be charming.

And as Paul explained, he knew he had to meet her after seeing her name on a piece of paper.

He described a moment on the SmartLess podcast in 2022 where he experienced a profound shift, saying, ‘You see something new and suddenly realize your life has changed. You just don’t know how or why.’

Reflecting on it, he said he experienced that sudden, inspiring feeling that anyone can have if they’re receptive to it. He started exploring opportunities and then saw her on TV, impressed by her work. He kept in contact with some people involved with the show and realized, ‘This woman is incredible.’

For a look at more stars enjoying a sweet date night at the 2026 Golden Globes, keep reading.

Melissa in custom Christian Siriano and Marco Bicego jewelry

Aimee in Vivienne Westwood, Adam in a TAG Heuer timepiece

In custom Thom Brown

Dwayne in Chopard

Emily wore a custom Louis Vuitton outfit with Tiffany & Co. jewelry, while John was dressed in Dolce & Gabbana, accessorized with a Glashütte Original Sixties watch and Bruce Magli shoes.