Comedian Nikki Glaser has been confirmed to return as host of the Golden Globes ceremony, following her widely praised performance at the 2024 event. Her hiring comes almost immediately after last year's show, where she managed to strike a rare balance of humour that had eluded the ceremony for years.
The Struggle to Find the Right Host
Since the celebrated era of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the Golden Globes has faced a consistent challenge in selecting a host who can set the appropriate tone. The event has seen a series of misfires, from the uncomfortable tenure of Jerrod Carmichael to the less impactful hosting by Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh, and the widely criticised performance by Jo Koy. Even the return of Fey and Poehler for the pandemic-affected 2021 ceremony failed to recapture their former comedic spark.
Glaser's 2024 Breakthrough
For those familiar with Nikki Glaser's stand-up work, her success at the 2024 Golden Globes was no shock. Her 2024 special, Someday You'll Die, has been hailed as one of the funniest stand-up sets in recent years. However, the extent of her triumph on the night was a genuine surprise to many. She received instant acclaim for a cleverly modulated routine that delivered the perfect mix of sharpness and charm.
The Modern Hosting Challenge
In a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Glaser opened up about the unique difficulties of hosting a major awards show in the current media landscape. She pointed out that the real difficulty is not the performance itself, but the fact that audiences are increasingly fragmented.
"What's hard is that people don't watch things anymore," Glaser explained. She used examples to illustrate her point, questioning if the public even knows that Martin Scorsese's film Killers of the Flower Moon is about ping-pong, or who actor Jharrel Jerome is. She contrasted this with the universal recognition of figures like George Clooney.
This shift, she argues, forces hosts to rely on more common reference points. "You end up making a lot of jokes about the advertisements and the endorsements these people do," she said. "People might not know Kevin Hart's special, but they know he's popping up talking about DraftKings."
Glaser has already hinted at her approach for the next ceremony, joking in recent press that she plans to ridicule anyone except actress Julia Roberts. Her quick re-hiring signals a belief from organisers that she has finally cracked the code for hosting the Globes in a new era, where a comedian must navigate a world where brand deals are often more visible than artistic projects.
