Nikki Glaser’s Golden Globes Won’t Include Blake Lively Lawsuit Joke

Nikki Glaser is no stranger to making controversial jokes, but there is one “hot-button” issue she doesn’t plan on addressing while she hosts the 2025 Golden Globe Awards.

“I think the Blake Lively–Justin Baldoni thing is such a hot-button thing right now that even a mere mention of it will seem like I could be on the wrong side of things, even though I would never be,” Glaser, 40, told Yahoo! Entertainment on Thursday, January 2. “I also don’t want to give his name any [weight].”

She added, “I’m mad I even know his name, to be honest with you, so I don’t need to say it anymore.”

Lively, 37, named Baldoni, 40, in a December 2024 lawsuit, accusing him of sexual harassment and fostering a “hostile work environment” while filming  2024’s It Ends With Us. Lively also claimed that Baldoni caused her “severe emotional distress” and tried to mount a “social manipulation” campaign to destroy her reputation in an alleged attempt to protect his own image.

“I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,” Lively told Us Weekly in a statement last month.

Baldoni vehemently denies the accusations and has since filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for libel and false light invasion of privacy. He is also reportedly planning to file a separate suit against Lively.

“We plan to release every single text message between the two of them. We want the truth to be out there,” Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman told NBC News on Thursday. “We want the documents to be out there. We want people to make their determination based on receipts.”

Lively and Baldoni’s legal battle inspired a number of Hollywood stars, including Kate Beckinsale and Abigail Breslin, to come forward with their own stories of alleged misconduct in the industry.

Glaser, however, does not plan to include any controversial hot takes in her opening monologue on Sunday.

“There are certain people we all know who don’t have a sense of humor about themselves, and if I were to make that person laugh, it shows the people in the room, ‘OK, it’s safe to laugh,’” the comedian told Variety on Thursday. “I had a joke that I don’t think is going to make the final monologue: ‘The camera is going to be on you. Pro tip: Just laugh. It’s a really good way for the audience at home to like you.’”

Glaser added, “I don’t understand why publicists haven’t told them this. When you laugh at a joke about yourself, it makes you look so friendly, so cool, so personable. I’m trying to help you out. This way you don’t have to play Hip-Hop Hopscotch with Jimmy Fallon to look relatable.”

The 82nd annual Golden Globes airs live Sunday, January 5, 2025, on CBS at 8 p.m. ET. The ceremony will also be streamed live on Paramount+.