Comedian Nikki Glaser is opening up about a joke she regrets from the 2025 Golden Globe Awards, assuring audiences that she’s not as harsh as some may believe.
Speaking at the TIME100 Summit on April 23, Glaser, 40, addressed her reputation for sharp humor. “I think I get a reputation of being mean because of the roast,” she said, referring to her appearance in The Roast of Tom Brady earlier this year. “But I’m hired to be mean for those.”
The Golden Globes, however, were a different setting. “It’s not my job to ruin their night,” she said.
Glaser faced criticism in January after making a joke about musician Benny Blanco and actress Selena Gomez during her opening monologue at the Golden Globes. Gomez, 32, was nominated for her roles in Only Murders in the Building and Emilia Pérez. In her joke, Glaser said, “Selena Gomez is here with Benny Blanco, her new fiancé, and Benny Blanco is here because of the genie who granted him that wish.” She then described Blanco, 37, as a “lucky guy.”
At the TIME100 Summit, Glaser admitted that particular line gave her pause. “Looking back, I was like, that was pretty mean,” she said. “Everyone’s like he’s not attractive enough for her, and for me, I never looked at them and actually thought that. I think he’s really cool. She won too.”
Despite how it was received, Glaser insisted the joke came from a lighthearted place. “It didn’t come from a mean place,” she explained, adding that she felt comfortable telling the joke because she had received prior approval from the couple.
Glaser said she reached out to Blanco ahead of the broadcast. “I texted him before, too,” she recalled. “I got his number and was like, ‘Hey, you don’t know me, but I’m hosting this thing. Can I say that you’re there because a genie granted you a wish?’”
To her relief, Blanco responded positively. “He was like, ‘That’s hilarious, let me run it by Selena,’” Glaser said. “We were all waiting in the writer’s room like, ‘When is he going to write?’ And then he wrote back and said, ‘Selena thinks it’s great.’ So they gave me permission.”
She also credited fellow comedian Jimmy Kimmel for advising her to check with the subjects of her jokes if she had any concerns. “If you’re worried about a joke and how it’s going to go over, just ask them,” she recalled him saying.
Glaser previously mentioned the exchange during a February episode of the Armchair Expert podcast. She explained she got Blanco’s number from fellow comedian Eric André and made it clear she would never have used the joke without the couple’s blessing.
Looking ahead, Glaser is set to return as host for the 2026 Golden Globes.
