On Jan. 5, the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards — or, as Nikki Glaser calls it, “Ozempic’s biggest night” — kicked off with a bang as the comedian delivered a monologue that was… actually entertaining?
With a set full of timely and witty jokes, Glaser’s stint as host felt fresh and creative. Some of her best quips include when she referenced the “holding space” meme that went viral on social media. In another reference to the “Wicked” press tour, she asked Ariana Grande to hold her finger, alluding to the pop star’s peculiar but amusing behavior during interviews with co-star Cynthia Erivo.
Glaser also poked fun at Timothée Chalamet, complimenting the “gorgeous eyelashes” on his upper lip. She peppered in a few political jokes about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s hunting habits and celebrities’ inability to sway the public’s votes. And at the end of her monologue, she boldly asserted, “If you do lose tonight, please just keep in mind that the point of making art is not to win an award — the point of making art is to start a tequila brand so popular that you never have to make art again.”
Even during her brief bits throughout the show, Glaser’s jokes were creative and fun, different from what we typically see at award shows. For example, during her mid-show recap, she said, “The acceptance speeches have been on fire. Who got shouted out the most? Let’s take a look at the numbers.” The screen then displayed a chart that listed how many times “cast and crew,” “moms,” “God” and “Mario Lopez” were thanked, with the host of “Access Hollywood” receiving a shoutout while the “creator of the universe” received none.
In another short segment, she sang a “Conclave”–themed spin on the hit song “Popular” from “Wicked.” “You will be… pope-ular! You’re gonna be pope-ular! I’ll teach you some Catholic prayers—” Glaser sang before pretending to be cut off by someone speaking into her earpiece.
Though the comedian has been in the stand-up game for two decades now, she has gained a lot of recognition for a successful appearance on Netflix’s comedy special “The Roast of Tom Brady” last year. Glaser has participated in many similar roast battles, but fans especially loved her comedic timing and writing for the Brady roast, after which she made headlines.
Her jokes were certainly a breath of fresh air following last year’s fiasco, when comedian Jo Koy flubbed his set so badly that it was painful to watch. It started off fine until he made a particularly ill-received joke about Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” which he called a “plastic doll with big boobies.”
“The key moment in “Barbie” is when she goes from perfect beauty to bad breath, cellulite and flat feet — or what casting directors call a character actor,” Koy said before audible groans arose from the crowd. He then shifted the blame onto his writers, claiming that the jokes the audience were laughing at were the ones he wrote himself.
“Yo, I got the gig 10 days ago, you want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up. You’re kidding me, right?” he said.
Koy’s blunders ultimately culminated into a somewhat uncomfortable set, during which he awkwardly geeked out over Robert De Niro, took digs at Taylor Swift and joked about being attracted to Barbie’s Ken as cameras cut to an unimpressed Ryan Gosling, who played the character in the movie.
Glaser took a different, more masterful approach to her hosting gig by familiarizing herself. In an interview with Variety, she said, “[Koy’s monologue] taught me the importance of contextualizing yourself to the room as a comedian.” Her practice at roast battles undoubtedly worked in her favor, so she was able to make fun of the celebrities and herself in a more adept way. Glaser seemed comfortable on stage, like she was in her element.
Koy, on the other hand, appeared to not know his audience very well, according to Glaser in the same Variety interview.
“It was a little naive,” she said.
Glaser took on what is undoubtedly a daunting gig, assuming the role from big names like Ricky Gervais, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. But she seemed to be in her element, comfortable and easy-going in front of the audience. With several bedazzling costume changes throughout the night and an almost palpable excitement to be on stage, Glaser certainly deserves all the praise that came her way.