Nikki Glaser won't be roasting this beautiful woman at the Golden Globes. As the comedian steps onto the stage on January 11th to host the 2026 awards show, she's acutely aware that audiences are hoping she'll go easy on Julia Roberts. "I've been trying out my monologue around L.A., at the clubs here, and even jokes about Julia Roberts just don't resonate," Nikki told Gayle King on CBS Mornings on January 6th. "You can't make fun of America's Sweetheart. So, whatever I end up saying about her is the most finely-tuned joke that I've worked on, because it's very delicate."
The 41-year-old added, "They were booing, and I was like, 'Is she here?' It's insane." But Nikki—who shot to fame after her viral turn on The Roast of Tom Brady in 2024—explained that her jokes will be more "covert" going into her second year of hosting the Globes, because "huge A-listers" like Julia, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Sean Penn are nominated.
"I am a huge fan of these people," she shared. "It's easy for me to take down the newer batch of actresses and actors who are younger than me. It's like, 'OK, I can make fun of you. I'm like a veteran.' But when it's people that I grew up admiring, it's a different approach this year."
"You have to be very delicate about making jokes that won't ruin anyone's night," she continued. "But you also want to give the people at home something to laugh at, and you want to poke fun at the people that they're dying for you to make fun of. People at home want you to make fun of the A-listers."
When it comes to the more brutal jokes in her monologue, Nikki sometimes tries running it by the recipient ahead of time. In fact, she texted Selena Gomez's now-husband Benny Blanco last year for approval on her quip about him being with the Only Murders in the Building actress "because of the genie who granted him that wish." This year, though, she's leaning away from that approach.
"I don't even know if Leo has a phone," Nikki joked. "There are certain people that I don't even know what I would say. Some of these jokes you think about, 'OK, if I got their number, would I write them and ask them?' And then I go, 'You know what, they might say no, and I know the joke isn't that mean.'" As she put it, "I would rather ask for certain forgiveness later at the afterparty when they're drunk."
