Historically, the Golden Globes have been pretty entertaining. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, they were a showcase for great comedy, with Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler all having multiple iconic monologues. Plus honorary-award recipients like Oprah and Meryl Streep regularly brought down the house with their speeches. The 2024 awards, however, were an unmitigated disaster for host Jo Koy, and, not for nothing, Jerrod Carmichael’s experimental take the year prior remains one of the great oddities of recent award-show memory. This year’s show unenviable job will be to make everybody forget that. Will they do it? Well, actually, given the host and the award recipients we know they’re set up for success.
Okay, who’s hosting?
Certified killer Nikki Glaser, from whom we are casually expecting an absolute slay. Glaser has already had the best 2024 a comedian could ask for: she went megaviral for her Tom Brady roast; she released her special, Someday You’ll Die, to critical acclaim; and she got to be on Everybody’s in L.A. “I am absolutely thrilled to be hosting the Golden Globes,†Glaser said in a statement. “It’s one of my favorite nights of television and now I get a front row seat (actually, I think I have to host from the stage).â€
For what it’s worth, she seems excited to get back on the “Fey and Poehler†track: “Some of my favorite jokes of all time have come from past Golden Globes opening monologues when Tina, Amy, or Ricky have said exactly what we all didn’t know we desperately needed to hear. I just hope to continue in that time honored tradition (that might also get me canceled).â€We just hope, for Nikki “Swiftie†Glaser’s sake, that Taylor Swift makes happier faces at this year’s set than she did at Koy’s.
Glaser told Vanity Fair in December that she’s tested her monologue material at shows in several different states. (One thing she learned is that “a Hawk Tuah reference lights up the room in a way that a Wicked reference doesn’t, even.â€) She hopes that Fey and Poehler, who emailed her some advice, will follow up with an email telling her she did a good job. “If it goes poorly, there’s nothing I could have done differently because I considered every variable,†Glaser said. “I worked my fucking ass off on this.â€
Who’s being honored?
There’s no way to know who will win the competitive awards yet, but one honorary award is official: Ted Danson will receive the Carol Burnett Award, the Globes said on December 2. “Ted Danson has entertained audiences for decades with his iconic performances that will forever be ingrained in television history,†president of the Golden Globes Helen Hoehne said in a statement. “His renowned career is a testament to his remarkable talent and versatility as an actor and bears resemblance to the award’s legendary namesake.†If he gets political, we expect Danson will talk about the environment, since he currently sits on the board of Oceana, an ocean-saving nonprofit. (Yes, he is going to the Good Place.)
What about nominations?
Nomination morning is headed our way soon enough — Mindy Kaling and Morris Chestnut are unveiling the nominations on December 9. If you’re curious, you can watch the noms roll on in at CBS News or on the CBS News app.
How much was this year’s gift bag worth?
Per Robb Report, nominees will be given gift bags with items and experiences that are worth $1 million total — double the value of last year’s. So, you know, you don’t have to feel too bad for anyone who doesn’t take home a statue. Still, not every gift bag is created equally. All swag bag recipients can enjoy a $469 LED light therapy face mask and five-night stay in a Grand Cayman resort. But things like a non-surgical facelift worth $4,000 and a private flight to stay in Finland and see the Northern Lights worth $48,000 will only be offered to one recipient each. Meanwhile, a rare bottle of Komos XO tequila worth $2,000 will be gifted to 10 people.
When is it?
The Globes are set to air January 5, when most people will still be hung-over from shooing out 2024. You can watch them on CBS or on Paramount+ — if they go well, expect a good ’25.