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LOS ANGELES – Nikki Glaser kicked off the Golden Globes on Sunday with a bold and biting monologue before easing into lighter humor.
She didn’t hold back in her initial remarks, hinting that some celebrities present might be linked to the infamous Epstein Files and taking a jab at CBS, the network broadcasting the event.
“There are so many A-listers here, and by A-listers, I mean those whose names are on a heavily redacted list,” Glaser quipped. “And the Golden Globe for best editing goes to the Justice Department.”
Her commentary smoothly transitioned into a critique of CBS News, referencing the network’s controversial decision to shelve a critical “60 Minutes” segment regarding the Trump Administration’s policy of sending immigrants to a prison in El Salvador.
“The award for most editing goes to CBS News,” she remarked. “Yes, CBS News: America’s latest hub for seeing BS news.”
She didn’t bring up Venezuela, a subject she told The Associated Press this week she was considering mentioning, but worried it would already be old news in the chaotic moment. And there was no mention of ICE.
Glaser also told the AP she was struggling to find a joke about Julia Roberts, saying she was so beloved and respected that nothing Glaser tried with her comedy club test audiences was landing.
She found a way to come at it sideways.
“Just like the podcasters nominated tonight, I should not be allowed to be this close to Julia Roberts,” she said, and got the big laugh she was looking for.
It was Glaser’s second time hosting the show. She was quickly rehired after getting strong reviews in her first outing last year. She was hired the first time after the ruthless roast she gave the attendees of the Netflix roast of Tom Brady. She’s been kinder on the Globes, but her jokes still had some bite.
She made the obligatory joke about Leonardo DiCaprio dating young women.
“You’ve worked with every great director. You’ve won three Golden Globes and an Oscar,” she said. “And the most impressive thing is that you were able to accomplish all of that before your girlfriend turned 30.”
She then went meta and apologized for being so obvious.
“Leo, I’m sorry I made that joke, it’s cheap. You know what, I tried not to, but like, we don’t know anything else about you, man. Like, there’s nothing else, like open up!” she said, getting a bigger laugh than she did for the first joke, especially from DiCaprio himself.
Of DiCaprio’s fellow nominee for “One Battle After Another,” Sean Penn, she said, “Everyone in this town is obsessed with looking younger. Meanwhile, Sean Penn, is like, what if I slowly morph into a sexy leather handbag?”
She focused on the lean frame of Timothée Chalamet in her inevitable joke about the nominee for “Marty Supreme,” calling him “the first actor in history to have to put on muscle for a movie about ping pong. This is true. He gained over 60 ounces.”
She called the sequel “Wicked: For Good” “Wicked: For Money,” getting economical as the monologue went on to maximize her targets.
She seemed to pull half the room into her final mega-joke.
“Guillermo del Toro, keep making weird monster sex movies,” she said. “James Cameron — keep making weird monster sex movies. Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos, keep making wonderfully bizarre movies together and go harder. I want Emma Stone playing a piece of toast with epilepsy.”
It went on and on, with lines including “Paul Mescal and Jacob Elordi, keep being the same person to my mom, okay?”
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