Hollywood star Sean Penn caught smoking at his table during Golden Globe Awards

Hollywood bad boy Sean Penn has never been one to follow the rules, so it is hardly surprising he would act up on the world stage.But even celebrity watchers were left shocked following his brazen act during the 2026 Golden Globe Awards ceremony, which was beamed live on TV across the world.Penn, 65, was seated beside his co-star Leonardo DiCaprio in the film One Battle After Another, which was nominated for a slew of Golden Globes, when he was caught lighting up a cigarette.The Wall Street Journal entertainment industry reporter Ben Fritz managed to snap a photo of Penn taking a drag from his cigarette while seated at the table, which he then uploaded to X along with the comment, "This can't be legal".The post has so far been viewed 9.9 million times and caught the attention of media outlets, who criticised Penn's actions.According to the 2024 California Clean Air Laws, smoking is prohibited in hotels, motels and restaurants.https://x.com/benfritz/status/2010557872237867408?s=20In the photo above, you can see the butt of a cigarette in the glass in front of him as he sat next to DiCaprio for a photo. READ MORE: Leonardo DiCaprio goes viral with hilarious antics at award ceremonyREAD MORE: The kiss we were deprived of on the Golden Globes red carpetREAD MORE: Hilarious reason Aussie star's husband missed her big winThe Daily Mail quoted Vanity Fair's Rebecca Ford as writing in a live blog that many stars were seen looking for a place to smoke outside the award venue, the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.Penn may have needed a quick drag after finding himself the butt of a joke by Golden Globes host Nikki Glaser."Everyone in this town is obsessed with looking younger, but Sean Penn is like, 'What if I slowly morph into a sexy leather handbag?'" she joked, before the camera panned to him chuckling along with the gag.DiCaprio also came under fire from Glaser, who went down a familiar route.For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here. "What a career you've had. I mean, countless iconic performances, you've worked with every great director. You've won three Golden Globes, an Oscar," she said."And the most impressive thing is that you were able to accomplish all of that before your girlfriend turned 30. I mean, it's just insane."She then said she didn't want to go with such a predictable joke but had to because the star was so notoriously private."Leo, I'm sorry I made that joke, it's cheap, I tried not to."But we don't know anything else about you, man. There's nothing else... I searched, the most in-depth interview you've ever given was in Teen Beat in 1991. Is your favorite food still 'pasta, pasta and more pasta'?"Penn was a four-pack a day smoker before giving up in his 40s but later returned to the habit.He reportedly chain-smoked his way through a news conference at the 2024 Marrakech International Film Festival, and in 2018 lit up twice during an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.Penn is one of the most prolific actors and filmmakers of his generation, having starred in a slew of films, including his latest, One Battle After Another, which won four of its nine Golden Globe nominations.FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.