The 82nd Annual Golden Globes aired on CBS Sunday, January 5, and before host Nikki Glaser even hit the stage, it was clear that she fully understood the assignment.
Ahead of the ceremony, the 40-year-old Emmy-nominated comedian and actress told Yahoo! Entertainment that she didn’t plan to “go so hard” that anyone would be offended (unlike last year’s host Jo Koy) and she only had one major off-limits topic: the Justin Baldoni/Blake Lively It Ends With Us drama. Hours before the show, Glaser stopped to chat with E! on the red carpet, where she revealed she’d run through her monologue 93 times already. Now that’s dedication!
“We’re constantly making edits, trying to top jokes, trying to just strike the right note and tone for the evening… Now I know it so well I can just be myself up there,” Glaser told E! “These people don’t talk to me outside of this setting, so this is my chance…It’s blowing my mind that Angelina Jolie has to listen to me talk for nine minutes.”
Even without tackling one of the biggest stories in the entertainment industry or being as savage as she was on Netflix’s The Roast of Tom Brady, the Roastess With The Mostest inspired hearty laughs from attendees and viewers alike, joking about everything from “Ozempic ‘s biggest night” and Paramount+ to the 2024 election results and Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s finger holding. She even dared make a Diddy joke.
“I am not here to roast you tonight. How could I, really? You’re all so famous, so talented, so powerful. I mean, you could really do anything … I mean, except tell the country who to vote for,” she said, inspiring cackles from the crowd.
“…Martin Short is here because we have cameras. Zendaya is here. Zendaya, you were incredible in Dune 2. Oh my God, I woke up for all of your scenes. You are so good. And Challengers, girl? Oh my God, it was so good. I mean, that movie was more sexually charged than Diddy’s credit card,” she said. “I mean seriously. Oh no, no. I know. Sorry, I’m upset, too. The afterparty is not gonna be as good this year, but we have to move on.”
She did a great bit about IRL buds Timotheé Chalamet and Adam Sandler (even getting an impromptu “Chal-a-met!” impression out of Sandler), called out Wicked‘s movie theater singers, and took a shot at Harrison Ford that made him furrow his stoic brow. She shouted out “two-time Holocaust survivor Adrien Brody,” praised Selena Gomez for her role in 10-time nominee Emilia Pérez, and even poked fun at her new fiancé, Benny Blanco, saying, “[He’s] here because of the genie who granted him that wish.”
“Before we start handing out awards tonight, I do want to remind you, 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 the start a tequila brand so popular that you never have to make art again,” Glaser said before wrapping. Ultimately, she slayed. Lots of laughs, a perfect tone, and humor that didn’t come at the expense of others’ pain. Even people on social media dished out praise, which is no easy feat to achieve.
“Nikki Glaser did an outstanding job with her #GoldenGlobes opening monologue. The room loved almost every joke,” one X user wrote.
“Nikki Glaser kind of absolutely annihilating her monologue. Incredible presence, perfect pacing, knows how to roast people and be tongue-in-cheek without being obnoxious and offensive. I fear the golden globes are officially back,” writer Coleman Spilde said.
“Nikki Glaser needs to host everything stat! Oscars, Grammys, my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary toast. Can she now win an Emmy for that monologue?” another added.
Ahead of the event, Glaser also told Yahoo! Entertainment, “I just want to walk out there and make everyone feel like we’re in good hands because the host really does set the tone for the whole evening.” Judging from the reactions, she achieved her goal!
In addition to delivering a solid opening monologue, Glaser also made history as the first woman to host the Golden Globes solo and earned a nomination in the Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television category for Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die. A win/win/win!
You can check out the full list of Golden Globe nominees here and be sure to follow along with Decider’s coverage of the event. Tune in to watch live on CBS or stream on Paramount+.
GOLDEN GLOBES 2025: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Can’t get enough of the 2025 Golden Globes? Follow along with Decider’s coverage, including:
- Host Nikki Glaser praised for “absolutely annihilating” during her Golden Globes monologue
- Why was Laverne Cox missing from the E! red carpet coverage?
- How to watch the Golden Globes 2025: Time, Channel, Livestream Information
- Jeremy Strong looks like an “evil birdwatcher” on the Golden Globes Red Carpet
- Golden Globes Nominations 2025: Complete list of movie & show nominees
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