One Live Golden Globes Joke Nikki Glaser Made That Was Absolutely Not Approved

Nikki Glaser made a return appearance as host of the Golden Globes this week, recruiting Jennifer Lopez for fun TikTok trends and roasting celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio. While there were certain A-listers she supposedly planned to stay away from, the same can’t be said for the network airing the awards show. Glaser fired a joke at CBS News that referenced recent events, and apparently she did not get that one approved by higher-ups beforehand.

The 83rd Golden Globe winners were celebrated Sunday night, with the awards show airing on CBS and streaming live with a Paramount+ subscription. However, that didn’t stop Nikki Glaser from making a joke at the expense of CBS News, as she jested:

Sources told Page Six the jab — which was met with loud laughter from the presumably liberal crowd — was not run by the company’s bosses for approval.

However, while Nikki Glaser has faced backlash for her comedy before, that supposedly won’t be the case in this situation — at least from the network — as an industry insider said CBS News is separate from the entertainment section, and that the Golden Globes host was not required to run her jokes by its bosses. The insider said:

Nikki Glaser’s dig was presumed to be a reference to its new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who drew strong criticism from the staff and the public over her decision to pull a planned 60 Minutes story about the Trump administration reportedly deporting migrants to a prison in El Salvador, after the White House refused to participate.

Ahead of its merger with Skydance Media, CBS’ parent company also settled a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump over the editing of an interview with then-vice president Kamala Harris — a move highly criticized by Stephen Colbert shortly before the network canceled his late-night show.

The Golden Globes host also referenced Paramount Skydance attempting a hostile takeover of Warner Bros. following its acquisition by Netflix when she joked:

There was plenty of good to come from this year’s Golden Globe Awards — Nikki Glaser’s tribute to Rob Reiner would be a part of that category — and some not-so-good segments as well, including that awkward UFC tie-in with Heated Rivalry. As for where Glaser’s CBS-related jokes fall, I guess that’s up for interpretation.

It’s not rare to see comedians broach controversial topics in their monologues and jokes, and seeing what unapproved content comes out of awards show hosts’ mouths is part of the fun of live TV, right?

If you missed these jokes, or any of the Golden Globes’ best-dressed celebrities, biggest winners and hottest moments, the awards show is available to stream now on Paramount+.