Nikki Glaser made a bold statement about CBS — home of the Golden Globes — while hosting the awards show, but how did the diss go over with network execs?
“I think when you start off by doing a self-deprecating joke about your own plastic surgery, you set the tone of, ‘I’m not here to really harm people,’” producer Ricky Kirshner said in an interview with Variety published Monday, January 12.
Kirshner revealed that he was “sitting next to the CBS executive” while Glaser, 41, rehearsed her monologue.
“She did it, I was sitting with the CBS exec, and I looked over at her, and she texted a few people, and said, ‘Yeah, it’s OK. It’s fine,’” Kirshner recalled.
Fellow producer Glenn Weiss, meanwhile, had heard Glaser’s joke as she prepped in clubs leading up to the big day.
“Everything in the monologue, why she nails this so well is, we’re poking fun at everything in the industry, including ourselves,” Weiss added. “It’s just been fun.”
While opening the 83rd annual Golden Globes on Sunday, January 11, Glaser held nothing back. She referenced the “heavily redacted” Jeffrey Epstein files, poked fun at Netflix bidding billions to buy Warner Bros. and even called out the very network airing the ceremony amid recent criticism of their news coverage.
“The award for most editing goes to CBS News,” she quipped. “Yes. CBS News: America’s newest place to see B.S. news.”
Glaser also put some of the night’s biggest stars in the hot seat, including George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio.
“What a career you have had,” she said of DiCaprio, 51, who was nominated for his role in One Battle After Another. “Countless iconic performances. You’ve worked with every great director, you’ve won three Golden Globes and an Oscar. The most impressive thing is that you were able to accomplish that all before your girlfriend turned 30.”
Glaser later acknowledged that she took a “cheap” shot at the actor. “I tried not to, but like, we don’t know anything else about you, man. There’s nothing else. Open up!” she continued. “I’m serious! I looked! I searched! The most in-depth interview you’ve ever given was for Teen Beat magazine in 1991. Is your favorite food still ‘pasta, pasta and more pasta?’”
Sunday marked Glaser’s second time hosting the Golden Globes following her debut at the 2025 ceremony. Ahead of her return, Glaser watched Chelsea Handler deliver her own hilarious roast of DiCaprio at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards.
“He seems like he has a good sense of humor about himself,” Glaser said of DiCaprio during the January 6 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! “I come in peace, and I’m glad that I really loved his performance in One Battle [After Another] and can really lay that on thick before I go in for the kill.”
As for whether Glaser will be back on the Golden Globes stage for a third consecutive year, Kirshner and Weiss remain hopeful.
“Nikki is such a great talent, and I think she really, truly found her place here,” Weiss told Variety. “I think she’s a perfect host for us. And I will say this, that she is one of the hardest-working people I’ve met in this industry. She really cares about what she’s doing. She goes out, she practices sets, things changed right up till when we went on the air from our first rehearsal to the last. And I’ve got to give her major props for not just how funny she is, but how hard she works and what a great person she is for this role.”
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