Bill Clinton Gets Standing Ovation in Surprise Golden Globe Appearance for 'Lincoln

In this handout photo provided by NBCUniversal, L to R Tina Fey and Amy Poehler host the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel International Ballroom on January 13, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo: Getty Images)

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton received a standing ovation after making a surprise appearance at the 2013 Golden Globes Sunday night.

The brief segment, in which he introduced the film "Lincoln," was apparently a closely-guarded secret.

Clinton walked onto the stage to loud applause, beginning:

"A tough fight, to push a bill through a bitterly divided House of Representatives.  Winning it required the president to make a lot of unsavory deals that had nothing to do with the big issue.  I wouldn’t know anything about that...

"President Lincoln's struggle to abolish slavery reminds us that enduring progress is forged in a cauldron of both principle and compromise.  This brilliant film shows us how he did it, and gives us hope that we can do it again."

Twitchy captured a few reactions on Twitter:

(Photo: Twitter/@MonicaCrowley)

(Photo: Twitter/@eonline)

(Photo: Twitter/@PiperMaddox)

(Photo: Twitter/@DLoesch)

Host Amy Poehler returned after a trailer for the film played.

"Wow, what an exciting special guest!" she said in a giddy voice.  "That was Hillary Clinton’s husband!  Oh my G0d, that was exciting."

Co-host Tina Fey soon ran out to breathlessly add: "That was Bill Clinton!  That was Bill Rodham Clinton!"

MRC-TV has video of the surprise guest: