Nikki Glaser shocks Golden Globes viewers after Jeffrey Epstein joke

2026 has started off with a bang as the 83rd Golden Globe Awards is back once again, and cinema fans will no doubt be buzzing for a full evening of red carpet antics, celebrity speeches and a celebration of the very best TV and film we saw over the last year.

This year's ceremony, which is all about 'honouring excellence in film and American television productions', is set to be a good one indeed with comedian Nikki Glaser hosting the evening.

And Glaser didn't hold back in her opening dialogue after cracking a joke about the infamous Jeffrey Epstein files, which have been a huge talking point in both the US and wider world for months now.

Comedian Nikki Glaser didn't hold back in her opening Golden Globes speech (CBS)

In her opening speech, Glaser quipped: "I cannot believe the amount of star power we have in this room tonight, it's insane. There are so many A-listers... and by 'A-listers,' I do mean people who are on a list that has been heavily redacted.

"And the Golden Globe for the best editing goes to the Justice Department."

It didn't take fans long to rush online and share their reaction to the remark, with one X user writing: "The Epstein client list joke Nikki Glaser just made will go down in history. Underrated comedian."

"Not Nikki making an Epstein list joke," chimed in another as a third awed: "Nikki Glaser just made a joke about people being on the Epstein list."

A fourth declared: "4 minutes in and there's already an Epstein joke. Ok, I'm going to bed."

"Not even 3 minutes in and there’s an Epstein joke, it’s gonna be a longggg night," lamented a fifth as a sixth echoed: "A Jeffery Epstein joke 4 minutes into the #GoldenGlobes."

Viewers rushed online to share their reaction to the opening monologue (CBS)

In the same opening speech, Glaser also joked about Leonardo DiCaprio's dating history.

"The most impressive thing is that you've been able to accomplish all of this [in your career] before your girlfriend turned 30," Glaser told the award-winning actor, adding: "It's just insane."

After clocking the jab, one X user penned: "Nikki Glaser calling out Leo DiCaprio’s girlfriends, god I love award season."

And a final X user agreed: "Nikki Glaser never disappoints at the #GoldenGlobes."

Golden Globes 2026 nominations/winners

Best director

• Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another
• Ryan Coogler - Sinners
• Guillermo del Toro - Frankenstein
• Jafar Panahi - It Was Just an Accident
• Joachim Trier - Sentimental Value
• Chloe Zhao - Hamnet

Best screenplay

• Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another
• Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie - Marty Supreme
• Ryan Coogler - Sinners
• Jafar Panahi - It Was Just an Accident
• Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier - Sentimental Value
• Chloé Zhao, Maggie O'Farrell - Hamnet

Best TV series - drama

• The Diplomat
• The Pitt
• Pluribus
• Severance
• Slow Horses
• The White Lotus

Best TV series - comedy or musical

• Abbott Elementary
• The Bear
• Hacks
• Nobody Wants This
• Only Murders in the Building
• The Studio

Best limited TV series

• Adolescence
• All Her Fault
• The Beast In Me
• Black Mirror
• Dying for Sex
• The Girlfriend

Best TV actress - drama

• Kathy Bates - Matlock
• Britt Lower - Severance
• Helen Mirren - Mobland
• Bella Ramsey - The Last of Us
• Keri Russell - The Diplomat
• Rhea Seehorn - Pluribus

Best TV actor - drama

• Sterling K Brown - Paradise
• Diego Luna - Andor
• Gary Oldman - Slow Horses
• Mark Ruffalo - Task
• Adam Scott - Severance
• Noah Wyle - The Pitt (winner)

Best supporting actor - TV

• Owen Cooper - Adolescence (winner)
• Billy Crudup - The Morning Show
• Walton Goggins - The White Lotus
• Jason Isaacs - The White Lotus
• Tramell Tillman - Severance
• Ashley Walters - Adolescence

Best supporting actress - TV

• Carrie Coon - The White Lotus
• Erin Doherty - Adolescence
• Hannah Einbinder - Hacks
• Catherine O'Hara - The Studio
• Parker Posey - The White Lotus
• Aimee-Lou Wood - The White Lotus

Best film - drama

• Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• It Was Just an Accident
• The Secret Agent
• Sentimental Value
• Sinners

Best film - musical or comedy

• Blue Moon
• Bugonia
• Marty Supreme
• No Other Choice
• Nouvelle Vague
• One Battle After Another

Best animated film

• Arco
• Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle
• Elio
• KPop Demon Hunters
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
• Zootopia 2

Best actress - musical or comedy

• Rose Byrne - If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
• Cynthia Erivo - Wicked: For Good
• Kate Hudson - Song Sung Blue
• Chase Infiniti - One Battle After Another
• Amanda Seyfried - The Testament of Ann Lee
• Emma Stone - Bugonia

Best actor - musical or comedy

• Timothée Chalamet - Marty Supreme
• George Clooney - Jay Kelly
• Leonardo DiCaprio - One Battle After Another
• Ethan Hawke - Blue Moon
• Lee Byung-Hun - No Other Choice
• Jesse Plemons - Bugonia

Best supporting actress

• Emily Blunt - The Smashing Machine
• Elle Fanning - Sentimental Value
• Ariana Grande - Wicked: For Good
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas - Sentimental Value
• Amy Madigan - Weapons
• Teyana Taylor - One Battle After Another (winner)

Best supporting actor

• Benicio Del Toro - One Battle After Another
• Jacob Elordi - Frankenstein
• Paul Mescal - Hamnet
• Sean Penn - One Battle After Another
• Adam Sandler - Jay Kelly
• Stellan Skarsgård - Sentimental Value (winner)

Best actress - drama

• Jessie Buckley - Hamnet
• Jennifer Lawrence - Die, My Love
• Renate Reinsve - Sentimental Value
• Julia Roberts - After the Hunt
• Tessa Thompson - Hedda
• Eva Victor - Sorry, Baby

Best actor - drama

• Joel Edgerton - Train Dreams
• Oscar Isaac - Frankenstein
• Dwayne Johnson - The Smashing Machine
• Michael B Jordan - Sinners
• Wagner Moura - The Secret Agent
• Jeremy Allen White - Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere