Nikki Glaser poked fun at the A-list crowd during her opening monologue at the 2026 Golden Globes Sunday.
Glaser’s most daring jokes had to do with the late Jeffrey Epstein and his ties to the celebrity world.
“I cannot believe the amount of star power we have in this room tonight, it’s insane,” she began. “There’s so many A-listers … and by ‘A-listers’ I do mean people who are on a list that has been heavily redacted,’” she quipped.
“Yes, and the Golden Globe for best editing goes to … the Justice Department. Yes, congratulations,” Glaser said to a roaring crowd.
The comedian, 41, continued the joke by going after CBS — the network airing the awards show, “And the award for most editing goes to: CBS News, yes CBS News, America’s newest place to see BS news. We needed another.”
She then went on to roast Leonardo DiCaprio and his history of dating younger women.
“You’ve worked with every great director. You’ve won three Golden Globes, an Oscar,” she told DiCaprio, 51. “The most impressive thing is that you’ve been able to accomplish all of this before your girlfriend turned 30. It’s just insane.”
DiCaprio took the joke in stride, chuckling in the audience.
She also got laughs for her “Wicked” jokes, cracking, ““Wicked: For Good’ was back for ‘Wicked for money.’”
“Once again, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande gave us two career-defining performances,” she added. “Two hours into the movie I was getting emotional in tears going, ‘I can’t believe there’s 45 minutes left!’”
The comedian also took aim at Timothée Chalamet, as she said of his role in “Marty Supreme,” “Timothée Chalamet is the first actor in history to have to put on muscle for a movie about ping pong. He gained over 60 ounces. It’s insane.”
Glaser returned as host of this year’s Golden Globes after her successful stint hosting last year. Glaser’s jokes about the star-studded audience got plenty of chuckles at the time, including her jab at Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco.
“She’s here tonight with her new fiancé, Benny Blanco,” Glaser said of Gomez, who later married Blanco in September.
She then cracked, “And Benny Blanco is here because of the genie who granted him that wish. Man, lucky guy.”
Glaser later revealed her “insane” joke about Ben Affleck that she ended up cutting.
“[I almost said], like, ‘Am I gonna roast or am I gonna toast? You know what? I’m not roasting. I’m gonna toast,’” she shared during her appearance on SiriusXM’s “The Howard Stern Show” last January.
“And I just did all these toasts that were roasts. Like, ‘Here’s to Ben Affleck, I can’t wait to see which Jennifer you try to ruin next,’” she continued, referencing Affleck’s ex-wives, Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez.
Glaser also claimed she was paid less money than a past male host — and presumably negotiated for more the second time around.
“I got paid pretty — I’m good with that,” she told Stern. “There was a past host who said how much he got paid in his monologue and I got less than that, but that’s OK. I’ll get more next year.”
“This first year, when you’re just trying to prove yourself, I honestly would’ve done it for free,” she added. “It’s an insane platform to be on. It’s not about the money for me.”
Glaser is the first woman to host the Golden Globes solo.
“Hosting the Golden Globes this year was without a doubt the most fun I have ever had in my career,” she said in a statement after Dick Clark Productions — the producer of the awards show — announced she would return as host for the 2026 ceremony.
“I can’t wait to do it again, and this time in front of the team from ‘The White Lotus’ who will finally recognize my talent and cast me in Season 4 as a Scandinavian Pilates instructor with a shadowy past.”
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