“The fact that people found it funny shows exactly what they think of me, even though they have no idea who I am or how I work,” Cameron says in a new interview of the 12-year-old joke.
It’s been more than a decade, but James Cameron is clearly still stinging over a burn Amy Poehler lobbed his way during her co-hosting stint of the 70th Annual Golden Globes alongside Tina Fey back in 2013.
“Amy Poehler’s remark was an ignorant dig, at an event which is supposed to be a celebration of cinema and filmmakers, not a roast,” the Avatar: Fire and Ash director said in a new interview with The New York Times.
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“I’m pretty thick-skinned, and happy to be the butt of a good-natured joke, but that went too far,” Cameron continued. “The fact that people found it funny shows exactly what they think of me, even though they have no idea who I am or how I work.”
The Saturday Night Live alum’s dig came during the show’s opening monologue, where Poehler acknowledged best picture nominee Zero Dark Thirty’s depiction of torture with the quip, “When it comes to torture, I trust the lady who spent three years married to James Cameron.”
Remember when Amy Poehler skewered James Cameron with this all-timer Golden Globes jokepic.twitter.com/XQNBOpK7Ro
@mrbrianrowe
Zero Dark Thirty was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who was also nominated for best director among the film’s four nods. Bigelow was Cameron’s third wife, having been married to the Titanic director from 1989 to 1991. Cameron has been married to his fifth wife, Suzy Amis Cameron, since 2000. He and Bigelow have remained on friendly terms.
In his new interview, Cameron recalled the 2009-10 awards season when his first Avatar film was up against Bigelow The Hurt Locker across multiple award shows, including the Oscars. When his ex-wife prevailed, winning Best Picture and Best Director, he emphasized, “I was the first one on my feet applauding.”
“Kathryn and I thought the whole meta-narrative around us was pretty funny,” he continued. “I was a little concerned that it would just take away from her credibility as a filmmaker. It started to turn into a conversation that wasn’t about her film, and that bothered both of us.”
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Both directors have continued to rack up accolades and success for their film projects, with Cameron on the promotional tour for the third Avatar film, while Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite is tearing up Netflix. Poehler, meanwhile, finds herself a Golden Globe nominee this year in the category of Best Podcast for her Good Hang with Amy Poehler venture.
It’s a new category for the Globes, with Poehler facing off against Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy, The Mel Robbins Podcast, NRP’s Up First, and SmartLess with Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes.
Meanwhile, Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash is competing in two categories including Cinematic and Box Office Achievement and Best Original Song for Miley Cyrus’ “Dream as One.” In other words, the chance does exist the two could bump into one another at the event.
Hosted for the second year in a row by Nikki Glaser, the 83rd Golden Globe Awards will take place January 11, 2026.
