At Golden Globes, Elton John Presents Award & Jokes About His Health Struggles

Elton John made one of his first public appearances since announcing last month that he had lost his eyesight when he presented the Golden Globe for Original Score tonight.

Returning from commercial, the segment opened with John and co-presenter and Brandi Carlile already onstage together. While the EGOT winner looked a little unsteady on his feet, his sense of humor was intact.

“There’s been a lot of stories going around about my regressive eyesight, I just want to reassure everyone: It’s not as bad as it seems, so I’m so pleased to be here with my cohost, Rihanna,” he joked.

The winner turned out to be Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for Challengers, and Carlile called out the duo’s names, the “Rocket Man” singer celebrated with a hearty, “Yeaaah!”

On December 1, the legendary singer-songwriter said at a West End gala performance of The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical (for which he wrote the lyrics) that he was only able to enjoy the show in an auditory manner, per the BBC.

“I have lost my sight and I haven’t been able to see the performance but I have enjoyed listening to it,” he said on stage at the charity event for the Elton John AIDS Foundation held at The Dominion Theatre in London on Sunday evening. According to the Daily Mail, he was assisted off stage by his husband David Furnish.

In November, the five-time Grammy winner revealed to ABC News’ Robin Roberts that his eyesight had deteriorated and that plans for a new album were put on hold as a result of the health issue.

“It’s been a while since I’ve done anything,” he said. “I just have to get off my backside. I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye in July because I had an infection in the south of France. And it’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see. And my left eye is not the greatest. So there’s hope and encouragement that it will be OK, but I’m kind of stuck at the moment.”

The 77-year-old superstar underwent hip surgery after he fell in September 2021. After that procedure, he postponed a portion of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

He also delayed his tour after contracting Covid in January 2022.