Nikki Glaser isn’t losing sleep over her Golden Globes paycheck—even though she claims it was less than what a previous male host received. The 40-year-old comedian opened up during her “The Howard Stern Show” appearance on Monday, January 6, reflecting on her historic night hosting the 2025 Golden Globes.
“I got paid pretty — I’m good with that,” Glaser said. However, she added that her compensation didn’t match the figure a former male host revealed in his monologue. “There was a past host who said how much he got paid in his monologue, and I got less than that,” she shared. “But that’s OK. I’ll get more next year. I feel well-paid for what I do. I’m alright.”
Glaser appeared to reference Jerrod Carmichael, who hosted the 2023 Golden Globes and famously disclosed on stage that he was paid $500,000 for his hosting gig. Carmichael’s monologue also addressed the controversy surrounding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s (HFPA) lack of diversity, which led to the ceremony’s cancellation in 2022.
© NBC via Getty Images“I’ll tell you why I’m here,” Carmichael said during the show. “I’m here because I’m Black. … This show, the Golden Globe awards, did not air last year because of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — which I won’t say they were racist, but they didn’t have a second Black member until George Floyd died.”
While Glaser made history as the first solo female host of the Golden Globes, she maintained a positive attitude about her paycheck. “This first year, when you’re just trying to prove yourself, I honestly would’ve done it for free,” she admitted. “It’s an insane platform to be on. It’s not about the money for me.”
Her efforts seemed to pay off. Glaser received glowing reviews for her opening monologue, which balanced her sharp wit with a more restrained tone. Critics and social media users praised her ability to charm the room without alienating the Hollywood elite.
© Getty ImagesA Softened Roast for Hollywood
During the show, Glaser delivered memorable lines such as, “Tonight, we celebrate the best of film and hold space for television. Yes, ‘Wicked,’ ‘Queer’, ‘Nightbitch’: These are not just words Ben Affleck yells. These are some of the incredible movies nominated tonight.”
She also joked about Hollywood scandals, quipping, “I predict five years from now, when you’re watching old clips of this on YouTube, you’ll see someone in one of the crowd shots and you’ll be like, ‘Oh, my God, that was before they caught that guy!'”
© Penske Media via Getty ImagesThough her set was well-received, Glaser revealed during her Howard Stern interview that she left several jokes on the cutting room floor. One scrapped joke referenced Timothée Chalamet‘s preparation to play Bob Dylan, with Glaser saying: “Timothée took lessons in guitar, dialect movement, and vocals to become Bob Dylan, while Bob Dylan became Bob Dylan the old-fashioned way.”
Other cut jokes included one about Zendaya‘s performance in “Challengers,” and a dig at Glen Powell, who starred in “Hit Man”: “Who would have thought that by the end of the year, you’d only be the second hottest hit man in America?”
Looking Toward the Future
Despite the pay disparity and the tough balancing act of hosting one of Hollywood’s biggest nights, Glaser said she left the night feeling optimistic. She even received positive feedback from those involved with the show, bolstering her hope to return as host.
© Kevin MazurGetty Images“If they’ll have me back for 2026, I’m all in,” she said. “The first time, you just want to prove yourself. And I feel like I did that.”
For now, Nikki Glaser has cemented her place in Golden Globes history, not just as the first woman to take the stage solo but as a host who delivered laughs, charm, and grace.