Who Are Nikki Glaser's Parents?

Nikki Glaser fans discovered that she got it from her mama — and her papa — when she invited viewers to meet her parents on the E! reality series "Welcome Home Nikki Glaser?" At the beginning of the pandemic, the stand-up comedian decided to move back in with her parents, E.J. Glaser and Julie Glaser, and she knew that a wealth of comedic gold could be mined from this real-life sitcom plot. "My parents are so funny. And I think that most comedians always cite the people they grew up with and their family as like being funnier than even they are," Nikki told Decider.

Nikki also possessed evidence that her parents are naturals when it comes to being in front of the camera. Even better, they're willing to make excruciatingly awkward revelations on television. In a 2019 episode of her Comedy Central series "Not Safe with Nikki Glaser," the comedian hooked E.J. and Julie up to a lie detector test and asked them a series of questions about their love life. Among their confessions was that they once engaged in an "accidental" sex act.

Still, Julie had to warm up to the idea of being a reality show star. "I said honestly if you don't wanna do it we will recast you, I think it'll be a hilarious thing to do," Nikki recalled to E! News. The thought of having a pseudo-sister wife on the E! payroll was enough to convince Julie to do it. But it's E.J. who relishes being in the spotlight.

On the "Fathering Excellence" podcast, E.J. Glaser revealed that he managed to make a living as a musician for a few years but confessed, "I didn't have the confidence that my daughter has about trying to pursue a career in entertainment." The Glasers used to live in Cincinnati, but when Nikki Glaser was 6 years old, E.J. got a job in St. Louis working as the Director of Marketing for Charter Communications. His salary was decent enough that Julie Glaser was able to stay home and care for Nikki and her sister, Lauren.

Now that E.J. is semi-retired, he's able to devote more time to making music again; he's even part of a musical trio called Glaze and The Moonkings. He and Nikki have also jammed together on "Welcome Home Nikki Glaser?" They both played guitar and sang an obscene version of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's song "Shallow," swapping its original words with lyrics about Nikki hearing her parents having sex. Nikki told Revue that making music with her dad during the pandemic inspired her to pursue a side career as a singer, and she proved that she has what it takes by finishing third on "The Masked Singer." In a 2021 interview with The New York Times, E.J. revealed that he's been aware of his daughter's other talent for a long time, saying, "I've tried to get her to sing with me ever since she was a small child."

E.J. Glaser's cable TV job facilitated his daughter's early comedic education. He told "Fathering Excellence" that he was given a TiVo at work, and Nikki Glaser became a big fan of the digital video recording device. "Nikki was able to watch Conan O'Brien, and that is what she attributes to her comedy career," E.J. said. He also revealed that he allowed her to watch "Friends" as a child, even though he didn't feel it was age-appropriate.

Nowadays, it's Nikki who has to worry about exposing her parents to inappropriate material. In a "Welcome Home Nikki Glaser?" confessional, Julie Glaser admitted, "If she wasn't my daughter, I probably wouldn't go see her show." E.J., meanwhile, told St. Louis on the Air that he enjoyed watching the first of two stand-up routines that were filmed for Nikki's Netflix special. But ahead of the second, he recalled saying, "I need a drink.'"

Nikki's jokes about her parents can also cut deep, like when she deemed her mom a "shopaholic" because she likes to shop for alcohol. "My wife said she couldn't go to the grocery store and buy a bottle of vodka for months after that," E.J. said on "Fathering Excellence." But the couple will be rewarded for putting up with Nikki's parental roasting someday. "My goal now is to pay them back and get them into a good nursing home," Nikki told City Lifestyle of her supportive mom and dad.