Alicia Silverstone, best known for her role as Cher Horowitz in 1995’s Clueless, became an unexpected focal point during this year’s Golden Globes after viewers noticed her making a series of unusual facial expressions while on camera.
The brief moment, captured during the live broadcast, showed the actress appearing to tense her face repeatedly, blinking and scrunching her features in a way some viewers compared to fighting an allergy or suppressing a sneeze.
Clips of the moment quickly circulated online, where armchair analysts began dissecting her expressions frame by frame.
As speculation grew, one netizen connected the moment to Silverstone’s political past.
“The part of her brain that made her support RFK Jr. is glitching again.” a user wrote, bringing back the actress’s previous endorsement of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now serving as US Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Alicia Silverstone’s “weird” facial expressions during the Golden Globes live broadcast left many viewers scratching their heads
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The viral clip shifted the conversation beyond Silverstone’s red carpet reception or her accomplishments, veering instead into her political history and serving as ammunition for those who disagree with her.
In June 2023, the actress publicly announced she had canceled her Democratic Party registration and registered as an Independent voter.
“Like many others, I am deeply disappointed with political leadership at every turn,” Silverstone wrote at the time.
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According to her, “the division, the lies, [and] the profiteering at the expense of the people and public health” was what pushed her to abandon the party. She then urged those who felt “disenfranchised by our government” to consider supporting Kennedy’s presidential bid.
Her backing extended beyond words.
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Federal Election Commission filings later revealed that Silverstone was reimbursed $427.25 by Kennedy’s campaign after she paid out of pocket for vegan cheese from Los Angeles shop Vromage to supply one of his campaign events.
Interestingly, Silverstone’s move to veganism, or the issue she was trying to address while doing so, might explain, in part, the twitchy facial expressions she made at the Golden Globes.
Silverstone has long suffered from severe allergies and asthma, which led her to veganism as a solution
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Apart from politics, Silverstone has long been open about her history of respiratory issues.
The actress has said that her asthma and severe allergies disappeared after she adopted a vegan diet.
Speaking on Oliver Hudson’s Sibling Revelry podcast, Silverstone recalled that before changing her eating habits, she relied on an asthma inhaler daily, received allergy shots twice a week, and took antibiotics several times a year for bronchitis.
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“I was on an asthma inhaler every single day,” she said. “I had allergy shots twice a week. I was taking antibiotics three times a year, at least, for bronchitis.”
After going vegan, she said those issues vanished.
“I got to ditch all of that. I ditched the asthma inhaler, all of that went away when I changed my diet,” she explained. “I didn’t know that that was gonna happen. That was the miracle. I always thought it was good karma.”
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Whether karma is at play or not, scientific findings support her stance. A 2020 review in Nutrition in Clinical Care reported that diets high in fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes and low in saturated fat may both reduce the risk of asthma and improve asthma control.
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At the same time, a 2020 study by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine found that diets emphasizing plant-based foods protect against asthma development and improve asthma symptoms through their effects on systemic inflammation.
The online discussion stood in contrast to the reception Silverstone initially received on the red carpet
The 49-year-old actress turned heads upon arrival at the ceremony on Sunday (January 11), stepping out as part of the cast of Bugonia in a strapless, floor-length red gown by Nicole + Felicia Couture.
Fans were quick to praise the look, calling it a reminder that Silverstone remains a fashion force decades after her breakout role.
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Some publications pointed out the deliberate nostalgia of the color choice, drawing comparisons to the iconic red Alaïa mini-dress her Clueless character wore in the scene where Cher Horowitz is mugged while walking alone at night in Los Angeles.
In an October interview with People Magazine, Silverstone reflected on her complicated relationship with fashion following Clueless, admitting she no longer knows what happened to the film’s wardrobe after she gave it away.
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“Before I did Clueless, I really was a T-shirt and jeans kind of girl,” she said. “I wasn’t too into fashion at all.
“So I ended up giving all the clothes away because I realized it was not working in my life. I gave them all away stupidly,” she said.
“She looks great!” Fans of the actress congratulated her on social media
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