Comedian Nikki Glaser on the One Golden Globes Joke She Thought Was Too ‘Mean'

Time​ Magazine

26-04-2025

Despite being known for her ability to hilariously roast celebrities, comedian Nikki Glaser revealed at the TIME100 Summit on Wednesday that there was one joke she told during the 2025 Golden Globes that she worried went too far.
Glaser made history earlier this year as the first woman to host the Globes solo and is already set to lead the awards show again in 2026. In the wake of earning rave reviews for the notoriously difficult gig, Glaser says she didn't feel sorry about any of the playful jabs she made.
'I didn't say anything that was like, calling anyone ugly or fat,' she told TIME deputy editor Kelly Conniff in New York City. 'At roasts, you say really cruel things. That's the job.'
However, she went on to concede she was initially concerned enough about a quip aimed at Emilia Pérez star Selena Gomez and her fiancé Benny Blanco that she ended up texting Blanco to get his permission to go ahead with the line.
'I said that Selena Gomez is here because of Emilia Pérez and Benny Blanco is here because of the genie who granted him that wish. And looking back, I'm like, that could seem mean, because everyone's like, he's not attractive enough for her,' she said. 'For me, I've never looked at them and thought that. I feel like she won too. I think he's really cool. So because that joke didn't actually come from a mean place, I felt like it was okay for me to say.'
Although Glaser has 20-plus years of industry experience under her belt, her career has been on a notable upswing since her standout performance in Netflix's Emmy-nominated Roast of Tom Brady in May 2024. Now, in the midst of her ongoing Alive and Unwell Tour, Glaser reflected on her tendency to doubt herself no matter how much success she's achieved.
'I'm happier than I've ever been, but I'm not happy by any means,' she said. 'I'm so grateful, but I still have a lot of self loathing that is almost getting boring to talk about at this point.'
Glaser added that while people often tell her to embrace the wins, it's not always easy for her.
'I know it'll get taken away at some point, because it has to. That's just the way things work,' she said. 'And when that part of my career happens…I don't want to be sad about that. So I just don't put too much worth in it, but I'm enjoying it.'
---
The TIME100 Summit convenes leaders from the global TIME100 community to spotlight solutions and encourage action toward a better world. This year's summit features a variety of speakers across a diverse range of sectors, including business, health and science, AI, culture, and more.
Speakers for the 2025 TIME100 Summit include human rights advocate Yulia Navalnaya; Meghan, Duchess of Sussex; comedian Nikki Glaser; climate justice activist Catherine Colman Flowers; Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, and many more, plus a performance by Nicole Scherzinger.