Comedian Nikki Glaser tapped to host Golden Globes after viral Tom Brady roast, prep underway for ‘terrifying’ gig

Nikki Glaser has been tapped to host the Golden Globes as her viral excerpt from the roast of Tom Brady continues to make the social media rounds. The Emmy nominated American comedian is currently running ‘joke prep’ with a team of about 10 writers in Missouri ahead of the award ceremony on January 5. Glaser is also a first time nominee for ‘best performance in stand-up comedy on television’ — apart from being the first solo female host in Golden Globes history.

“It is a gig that a lot of people turn down because it’s so terrifying. I actively want things that are live and I think a lot of other performers just do not like it,” she told the Wall Street Journal earlier this week.

Glaser has made a name for herself as a riotously sharp wit in recent years with a special knack for roasts. Videos of the 40-year-old needling football star Tom Brady for his complex love life and his one-time advocacy of crypto continue during a Netflix roast have repeatedly gone viral on social media platforms this year. 

Hosting an award show has become a tricky prospect in recent years — with several prominent comedians reportedly turning down calls to host the Globes last year. The job eventually went to Jo Koy at the last minute but appeared to go badly wrong with a fumbled opening monologue and a rushed pace. By most accounts it was an awkward few minutes — with celebrities far from amused by his monologue and some glaring as ill-received jokes fell flat.

Glaser however remains undaunted, telling WSJ about plans to touch upon several tricky topics during her address. The comedian expects to mine the “Wicked” press tour, the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sex trafficking case, US President-elect Donald Trump and more.

The comedian has also made several appearances on Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” postgame show in recent weeks. Her ‘Late Hits’ segment however requires Glaser and her writers to come up with material as the game is taking place. 

“I give her and her team a ton of credit because what they did was they took a risk by doing live stand-up comedy on a sports show. And there’s no way we could have rehearsed what our first one was going to be like. None of us knew what the reaction would be in the crowd,” said Spoon Daftary, senior coordinating producer at Prime Video’s pregame, halftime and postgame shows.

(With inputs from agencies)