The Golden Globe Awards were held on Jan. 5 at the Beverly Hilton to celebrate the most notable films and shows of 2024. American stand-up comedian Nikki Glaser hosted the night with her flaming roasts, a brilliantly captivating monologue and catchy comedy bits. Glaser cunningly brightened the room with laughable, lighthearted material to celebrate cinema’s achievements.
Glaser wasted no time diving into her jokes, taking a jab at Hollywood’s recent Ozempic beauty trend while describing the room full of flawless, expensive faces. Her opening monologue featured brutal, ridiculous roasts of celebrities and the industry.
Glaser is exceptional at timing her jokes perfectly. She dries them out just enough before reeling them back in to keep the crowd engaged and avoid awkward, boring silences. As great as she is at holding onto her jokes, her transitions are masterfully navigated, having been in the entertainment industry for 22 years.
In an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Glaser talked about how much fun and how honored she was to host such a wonderful crowd. She also shared the details of a grateful phone call with five-time Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais on WSJ. Style.
The most helpful advice from Gervais that stuck with her was, “Don’t think you are them,” she said on WSJ. Style. “These are A-listers. They know I’m not them.”
The Golden Globe Awards have not always featured comedic hosts to entertain the room and engage audiences from home. The event did not introduce official hosts to entertain its crowd until 1995, despite debuting in 1944. The first official hosts were John Larroquette and Janine Turner.
Before that, performers entertained the audience, but no one was there to properly introduce the cinema contributors or to speak to the fans tuning in. After the first official hosts, the awards did not consistently feature hosts until recently. Gervais marked the return of hosting, leading the show from 2010 to 2012.
Amy Poehler, who co-hosted the show in 2013 and 2014, also advised the comedian to keep her jokes conversational and uninterrupted.
“The room is super noisy. They’re all talking. Don’t try to quiet them down because the audience at home can’t hear them,” Poehler said to CBS Mornings.
Glaser set the tone for her performance right off the bat in her opening monologue of the show. In her first joke, she claimed she wouldn’t roast such a “famous, talented and powerful” group of people before going on to say, “You could really do anything. I mean, except tell the country who to vote for.”
The comedian expressed her fear for the future of politics by gagging the viral meme of “Wicked” star Ariana Grande holding co-star Cynthia Erivo’s pointer finger to comfort her during an awkward interview.
Glaser joked, “We celebrate the best of film and hold space for television,” playing further into the famous interview between the “Wicked” co-stars and Tracy E. Gilchrist.
Glaser continued hosting with humourous ease, keeping the energy high through her delivery and wit. Toward the end of her monologue, she joked that one of the Hollywood stars in the room could be the next popping scandal.
“We could be making history tonight, and we don’t even know with who. Like, he knows, you know? Or she. It could be a woman. You know, I think 100% of the time, it’s a man, but it could be a woman. It won’t be,” she said.
As serious as the corruption is in the Hollywood industry, Glaser makes it clear that her jokes should not be taken too seriously.
Glaser’s “Pope-ular” bit showcased her crafty versatility as both a comedian and a performer. While parodying a line from the song “Popular” from “Wicked,” she was interrupted by her in-ears to find out, “This sucks.”
Glaser’s 22-year career in comedy has led her to find space on the Golden Globe Awards stage, delivering a night full of laughter for A-list celebrities and viewers alike.
Cameryn Nguyen is an Arts & Entertainment Staff Writer. She can be reached at camerynn@uci.edu.
Edited by Jaheem Conley.