As he took the stage at the prestigious Golden Globe Awards, George Clooney, a Golden Globe nominee himself, tested out his newfound French language. The starry 83rd annual ceremony was held on January 11 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, where Clooney, 64, spoke French to present an award. The actor-filmmaker, his wife Amal, and their children Alexander and Ella had recently been granted citizenship in France, as confirmed by a naturalization decree obtained by the French newspaper Journal officiel and viewed by PEOPLE.
"Bonsoir, mes amis," began Clooney, wishing his friends in the crowd a good evening. "C'est un honneur d'être ici," he added, emphasizing the honor he felt in being there.
Joining him in the festivities, Don Cheadle emerged for an Ocean's Eleven reunion, also throwing in some French as he wished Clooney a good evening with a "bonsoir." Cheadle, 61, teased his costar for losing in the Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy category to Timothée Chalamet from the film Marty Supreme. "We're all winners here," said Clooney in protest. "Not really — you aren't," quipped Cheadle. The two old costars then presented the Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama, which was won by Chloé Zhao's Hamnet.
The news of Clooney's French citizenship drew varied reactions, including from President Donald Trump on December 31. "Good News! George and Amal Clooney, two of the worst political prognosticators of all time, have officially become citizens of France which is, sadly, in the midst of a major crime problem because of their absolutely horrendous handling of immigration, much like we had under Sleepy Joe Biden," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. The actor then responded in a January 2 statement: "I totally agree with the current president. We have to make America great again. We'll start in November," referring to the upcoming midterm elections.
The French government also weighed in following the citizenship news. "We are delighted, like many French people, to welcome George and Amal Clooney into the national community," said the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in a statement on December 31.
The Clooney clan has lived in France since purchasing an estate there in 2021. "We live on a farm in France," the Oscar winner said in an October interview with Esquire about family life in Europe. "A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid, I hated the whole idea of it," said George. But for his 8-year-old kids, "they're not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life."
See PEOPLE's coverage of the 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Nikki Glaser at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 11 at 8 p.m. EST, airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
