This year, The Golden Globes had their first solo female host and they couldn’t have chosen a better comedian for that title. Niki Glaser, a 40-year-old comedian from Cincinnati, Ohio killed it as the host of the Golden Globes. Rarely is the host of an award show the most talked about at the end of the night but Glaser certainly was the talk of the town after the annual event. Although she has recently gained media attention, Glaser is not new to the industry, she has been around for a while but is just now getting her flowers.
Glaser first gained attention after appearing on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in 2009. She then got her first comedy special “Perfect” in 2016 which was not very successful. That same year, Glaser appeared in her first Comedy Central Roast. The Roast of Rob Lowe earned Glaser lots of praise; she came up with jokes that were as ruthless as they were hilarious. This earned Glaser respect in the comedy industry which led to her appearing in the Roasts of Bruce Willis and Alec Baldwin. However, she didn’t limit herself to Roasts. Glaser hosted a reality show as well, appearing on “Dancing with The Stars”. While Glaser has always been in the industry, the most recent Comedy Central Roast that Glaser participated in created a huge shift in her career. The Roast of Tom Brady was highly anticipated. Glaser is known for her blunt comedy, she even says the goal of her comedy is to “mention the unmentionable.” She carried this mindset into The Roast of Tom Brady with jokes poking fun at Brady’s divorce, the NFL covering up head injuries, retiring too late, and so much more. After the Roast, Glaser was praised for her roasting skills, named the unofficial winner of the Roast. This introduced Glaser to new audiences, all of which were impressed by her Roasts. Her newfound popularity led to the opportunity of hosting the Golden Globes.
Stakes were high for Glaser as the first solo female host, but she delivered. We are used to seeing men in boring suits delivering the same generic jokes, so Glaser was a nice surprise for this year’s Golden Globes. Her racy jokes and excited spirit brought a certain light to the stage that is not often there. Her monologue included jokes about Timothee Chalamet, Ben Affleck, and Harrison Ford. Glaser’s performance included costume changes and a refreshing lack of misogynistic jokes, unlike previous years. The support for Glaser’s hosting abilities poured out on social media with fans saying “Niki Glaser is made for this.”Producers noticed the outpour of love Glaser received and there was talk that she would return for future years. Executive producer Glenn Weiss stated, “I can’t talk officially for anything. I will say, as someone who produces and directs award shows, [that] she really found her niche here, and I think it really worked out beautifully on this show. And I would love to see it continue.” It’s safe to say that fans would love to see her on the Golden Globes stage again. Glaser told Howard Stern on “The Howard Stern Show” that she would have hosted for free because it was an amazing opportunity. However, she also mentioned that a male past host was paid more than her. Glaser did not appear to be upset about this although it is interesting that there was a difference in paycheck.
Glaser has worked hard for many years and has been writing jokes since she was in college. Now, at 40 years old, she is on top of the world receiving so much love for her hard work. We can hope to see Glaser at next year’s Golden Globes as well as stand-up specials and Roast appearances in between.