Jerrod Carmichael's 2023 Golden Globes Jokes That Will Have You Squirming In Your Seat
In 2022, the Golden Globes didn't air after scandal arose around the lack of diversity among the show's hosts, the Hollywood Foreign Press. Suffice it to say the 2023 iteration of the show was not going to go unscathed from the previous year's issues. However, comedian and host Jerrod Carmichael put the issue front and center from the get-go with his monologue that kept the scandal squarely in its sights.
"I'll tell you why I'm here. I'm here because I'm Black," Carmichael said in his monologue, via People. "This show, the Golden Globe Awards, did not air last year because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — which I won't say were a racist organization, but they didn't have a single Black member until George Floyd died. So do with that information what you will." Yahoo compared Carmichael's un-shy monologue to Ricky Gervais' infamous takedown of the show in 2020. While the audience was seen on camera with a mix of discomfort, uncomfortable laughter, and many nodding heads, other jokes throughout the evening did not have the same reception.
Some believe his jokes stole the room's energy
Sometimes it was the timing of the joke that made it too uncomfortable for the right reaction. Like when Jerrod Carmichael followed Ryan Murphy's harrowing speech on art for the LGBTQIA+ with what some would say was a homophobic joke about Rock Hudson and masculinity aimed at Will Smith for the infamous 2022 Oscar's fiasco. Carmichael said, "While we were on commercial, we actually presented Will Smith with the Rock Hudson award for best portrayal of masculinity on television." That timing wasn't missed by viewers who took to Twitter with their thoughts. One wrote: "Did I mishear that or did [that] cheap ass joke demean Rock Hudson and Will Smith after the heartfelt LGBTQIA boosting by Ryan Murphy."
Other users commented on Carmichael's awkward Scientology joke about Tom Cruise trading Golden Globe trophies for the release of Shelly Miscavige. One user noted that the "joke sucked the air out of the room." Another squeamish moment came when Carmichael announced that he "saw 'The Fabelmans' with Kanye, and it changed his mind," which was directed at director Steven Spielberg alluding to Kanye's recent antisemitic statements. Social media will certainly keep talking about some of these really uncomfortable moments for a while as we continue through the awards season.