Despite her reputation as a formidable roast master, 2025 Golden Globe host Nikki Glaser reveals the challenges and emotional toll of being on the receiving end of cutting jokes.
- January 6, 2025
AceShowbiz - Nikki Glaser, known for her razor-sharp wit and celebrity roast performances, has confessed to her discomfort with being on the receiving end of jokes. Despite her reputation for dishing out merciless attacks, she finds it challenging to handle criticism sometimes.
During a podcast appearance on "The Run-Through With Vogue," Glaser revealed that a joke by Pete Davidson at the 2016 Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe still stings today. Davidson's comment about her lacking an "a**" struck a nerve, reminding her of her insecurities.
Glaser emphasized that roasts are not entirely enjoyable experiences for participants. "I still think about some of the jokes that have been made about me from roasts six years ago, and they still haunt me," she said. She explained that these jokes can expose hidden insecurities or magnify existing self-criticisms.
The audience's reaction to a joke can be particularly painful, Glaser noted. She recalled Blake Griffin's joke comparing her to Larry Bird, which elicited an uproarious response from the crowd. "Like it killed so hard that I was like, 'I can't deny that,' " she admitted.
Nikki Glaser is set to host the 82nd Golden Globes ceremony on Sunday, January 5, marking her first major awards hosting gig. She plans to approach hosting with a conversational style, reflecting the perspective of viewers at home.
She refuses to mention Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni controversy, "I think the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni thing is such a hot-button thing right now that even a mere mention of it will seem like I could be on the wrong side of things, even though I would never be."
As a Swifie, she also refuses to take aim at Taylor Swift, who often becomes the receiving end of jokes because of her highly-publicized relationship with Kansas City Chiefs' tight end Travis Kelce. "I want to respect the fandom and not trash it, because as a Swiftie, there is no joke you can make about Taylor Swift that is OK to me," she said.
She defended her safe approach, "I'm not Ricky Gervais. This isn't my last Golden Globes, this is my first one. He really went hard on his last one. He was ready to burn some bridges [because] it didn't matter anymore."
