Why Nikki Glaser Decided To Cut An Alec Baldwin 'Rust' Joke From The Golden Globes

Comedian Nikki Glaser was going to tell a joke about the 2021 "Rust" shooting that involved Alec Baldwin, but apparently changed her mind at the last second!

In October 2021, the "30 Rock" actor was holding a gun on set in the Western film while rehearsing a scene. The gun went off, striking and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months behind bars for involuntary manslaughter, but Baldwin's case was dismissed with prejudice in July 2024 after a judge concluded that the prosecution had failed to turn over relevant evidence to the defense.

From Harrison Ford to Glen Powell, it seemed no one was spared from Nikki Glaser’s opening monologue. However, in an interview with Howard Stern for his SiriusXM show, Glaser admitted that there was a joke about Alec Baldwin that she decided not to share with the audience.

“Michael Keaton was so great in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. And Alec Baldwin sadly did not come back to play a ghost because he was too busy making them,” she joked as per The Hollywood Reporter.

However, she felt that making fun of the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was just “too mean” to share on live television. “Please know that I know that was not nice. It’s such a great joke, but it’s just too mean,” she added.

In a surprising admission, Glaser admitted that she actually messed up the joke that she wanted to tell about Ben Affleck. Onstage, Glaser said, “Wicked, Queer, Nightb-tch — these are not just words Ben Affleck yells after he orgasms. These are some of the incredible movies nominated tonight.”

However, that wasn’t the way that the joke was written. As Glaser explained, “It was supposed to be ‘when he orgasms’ and I said ‘after’ and it really bugged me.” Although she admitted that the joke “still works” she thinks that it is still “less clear” and “2 percent more funny” the way she had intended.

Although Stern told her it’s still funny either way, Glaser insisted, “They don’t know how much more they would have liked it.”

Glaser also cut another joke about the “Batman” actor, who recently divorced Jennifer Lopez after previously divorcing Jennifer Garner. “Here’s Ben Affleck. I can’t wait to see which Jennifer you try to ruin next,” Glaser wanted to say but did not want to pepper in too many jokes about Affleck.

Although she also made a few jokes about Diddy, there was one that didn’t make the cut. “This is the last time all of you will be in the same room together until the Diddy trial,” is one of the Diddy jokes that she decided not to mention while giving her monologue.

“We had another Diddy mention that worked better […] and you only get one Diddy mention. You’re also accusing the people in the room of being involved in that, and they might turn on you,” she explained.

As the first woman hosting the Golden Globes, Glaser revealed that she did not make quite as much as her male counterparts. In 2023, Jerrod Carmichael revealed that he got paid $500,000 for hosting; however, he was heavily criticized for his performance.

“I got less than that. It’s OK. I’ll get more next year. I honestly would have done it for free, it’s such an insane platform. … [But] next time I’ll ask for more money,” she said, although she admitted that she has not been asked to host again quite yet.

“I can’t imagine they wouldn’t. [...] It’s hard to find people to do these shows,” she explained. “I would never be able to live with myself if I turned it down because I’m scared of bombing.”

Fortunately, Nikki Glaser received positive feedback for her hosting role after previously leading the Tom Brady Roast on Netflix. She told Howard Stern that she got a compliment from Harrison Ford after the show, who told her, “This is such a tough gig and you’re doing such a good job.”

She also revealed that one of the writers told her “You can’t get 101 percent on this” and gave her a score of “A plus.”

At the end of the night, Glaser concluded that she “went to bed happy.”