<!-- mobian-agent-page publisher="time" canonical="https://time.com/collections/time100-summit-gala-2025/7279191/time100-summit-nikki-glaser-comedy-golden-globes-roast/" -->

---
description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news.
title: Nikki Glaser on Comedy and the Globes
image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbacb7c6b85fe503c/6998c600d32e9326c4cd6f12/2211645144.jpg?branch=production&amp;width=3840&amp;quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=16:9
---

Apr 23, 2025

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

by 

[Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)


## Megan McCluskey


Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/)

Close

Staff Writer

![2025 TIME100 Summit](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbacb7c6b85fe503c/6998c600d32e9326c4cd6f12/2211645144.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Nikki Glaser speaks onstage during the 2025 TIME100 Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 23, 2025 in New York City

Nikki Glaser speaks onstage during the 2025 TIME100 Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 23, 2025 in New York CityJemal Countess—Getty Images for TIME

Despite being known for her ability to [hilariously roast celebrities](https://time.com/7204928/2025-golden-globes-review-nikki-glaser/ "undefined"), comedian [Nikki Glaser](https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273772/nikki-glaser/ "undefined") revealed at the [TIME100 Summit](https://time.com/collections/time100-summit-gala-2025/ "undefined") 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](https://time.com/7204400/golden-globes-2025-recap/ "undefined") 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](https://time.com/7209545/emilia-perez-controversy-oscar-frontrunner/ "undefined") 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_](https://time.com/7204400/golden-globes-2025-recap/ "undefined") 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.

_The 2025 TIME100 Summit was presented by Booking.com, Circle, Diriyah Company, Prudential Financial, Toyota, Amazon, Absolut, Pfizer, and XPRIZE._


```json
[{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-summit-gala-2025/7279191/time100-summit-nikki-glaser-comedy-golden-globes-roast/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-summit-gala-2025/7279191/time100-summit-nikki-glaser-comedy-golden-globes-roast/"},"headline":"Nikki Glaser on Comedy and the Globes","datePublished":"2025-04-23T19:48:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:22:33.086Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/time100-summit-gala-2025/7279191/time100-summit-nikki-glaser-comedy-golden-globes-roast/","keywords":["TIME 100","sponsorshipblock"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbacb7c6b85fe503c/6998c600d32e9326c4cd6f12/2211645144.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"creator":"Megan McCluskey","articleSection":"TIME100","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbacb7c6b85fe503c/6998c600d32e9326c4cd6f12/2211645144.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/time100/","name":"TIME100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-100/","name":"TIME 100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-summit-gala-2025/7279191/time100-summit-nikki-glaser-comedy-golden-globes-roast/","name":"Nikki Glaser on Comedy and the Globes"}}]}]
```
