Comedian Nikki Glaser, who is hosting the Golden Globes again this year, said the audience would be too clueless to understand jokes about the situation in Venezuela.
The stand-up performer has given several interviews about how she plans to approach her monologue after receiving generally positive reviews last year. Glaser said she’s been trying out jokes in local bars and has noticed that bits about current events aren’t landing.
“You can’t even anticipate things a week away as being relevant enough,” she said during an interview with the Associated Press. “You’d be surprised that half the room had no clue why I was saying ‘Venezuela.’ People aren’t getting the news like we all are.”
The comedian also said she plans to avoid roasting a particular celebrity due to poor reception.
“I’m trying out my monologue around L.A. at the clubs here and just even any joke about Julia Roberts, they are not there for,” she told Gayle King during an interview on CBS. “You cannot make fun of America’s sweetheart. Whatever I end up saying about her, that is the most fine-tuned joke that I’ve worked on so hard, because it is very delicate.”
“I mean, they were booing, and I was like, ‘Is she here?’” Glaser said. “It’s insane.”
Roberts is up for Best Actress in a Drama for her leading role in “After the Hunt.”
“I’ve been running the jokes constantly,” she told the AP. “I live and die by those crowds. They really tell me what to keep and what not to. Things that I think will kill will just be nothing and things that I think are just a throwaway are like the best joke.”
Glaser revealed one joke she ditched.
“I was going to make a joke about ‘Pluribus’ where I said like, ‘Have you seen it? Pluribly not.’ But we could not find a place for ‘pluribly not’ and so that one is in the graveyard. Probably rightfully so.”
As for her overall strategy for hosting the Golden Globes, Glaser said she wants it to be entertaining and edgy without offending anyone.
“You have to be very delicate about making jokes that aren’t going to ruin anyone’s night, but you also want to give the people at home something to laugh at, and you want to poke fun at the people that they’re dying for you to make fun of,” she told King. “Like people at home want you to make fun of the A-listers.”
“They want you to make them feel a little bit uncomfortable,” Glaser said. “So, it’s covert in the sense that I want to get away with those jokes without just ruining the vibe in the room. So, it’s really strategic, and it’s one of the most difficult jobs I’ve ever had is picking the perfect jokes.”
The 2026 Golden Globes will air live on Sunday, January 11, from 8-11 p.m. ET / 5-8 p.m. PT on CBS. The broadcast will also be available to stream on Paramount+.
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