Nikki Glaser says joking about ICE at Golden Globes felt 'too trivial'
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Nikki Glaser says joking about ICE at Golden Globes felt 'too trivial'
Anthony Robledo, USA TODAYJanuary 14, 2026 at 1:02 AM
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Nikki Glaser held back quite a few political jokes as she hosted the 2026 Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11.
Though the comedian took aim at the Justice Department and CBS News during her opening monologue, she revealed that some jabs at President Donald Trump and Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not make it to the award show.
"It's not funny," Glaser said on the Howard Stern Show during a Tuesday, Jan. 13 appearance. "I was going to come in at some point and say, 'I'm hearing from the bar that we're out of ice. And you know, we don't really need ice. And actually, I hate ice.' It just felt like, oh, even that's just being too trivial."
"That's what it felt like. This isn't even that anymore," she added. "It's hard to strike the right tone."
Nikki Glaser speaks onstage during the 83rd Annual Golden Globes in Beverly Hills, Jan. 11, 2026.
Glaser explained that even mentioning Trump seemed too political, saying, "It was like, you just don't say that guy's name right now." The comedian added, "I just want to give it space."
Other stars, however, spoke out about the fatal ICE shootings of Renee Good and Keith Porter. On the red carpet, celebrities including Mark Ruffalo and Wanda Sykes wore pins reading "BE GOOD" and "ICE OUT."
The black-and-white pins were in response to the killing of Good, who was fatally shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, Jonathan Ross, in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. Porter, too, was a Los Angeles man shot and killed by an off-duty ICE agent on New Year's Eve.
"This is for Renee Nicole Good, who was murdered," Ruffalo told USA TODAY on the red carpet, proceeding to call out President Donald Trump: "We're in the middle of a war with Venezuela that we illegally invaded. He's telling the world that international law doesn't matter to him. The only thing that matters to him is his own morality, but the guy is a convicted felon; a convicted rapist.
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"He's a pedophile," Ruffalo continued. "He's the worst human being. If we're relying on this guy's morality for the most powerful country in the world, then we're all in a lot of trouble.
"So this is for her," Ruffalo concluded. "This is for the people in the United States who are terrorized and scared today. I know I'm one of them. I love this country. And what I'm seeing here happening is not America."
The hottest names in Hollywood hit the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 11 in Beverly Hills, California. These were the night's most lavish looks, starting with Kate Hudson.
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1 / 182Kate Hudson, Leonardo DiCaprio, more stun at Golden Globes red carpet
The hottest names in Hollywood hit the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 11 in Beverly Hills, California. These were the night's most lavish looks, starting with Kate Hudson.
What jokes did Nikki Glaser cut from Golden Globes?
Another joke that Glaser cut from the telecast involved the controversial renaming of the Trump Kennedy Center, formerly the Kennedy Center, where she was going to call the Globes venue the "Trump Beverly Hilton."
She revealed that the joke was given to her by "Only Murders In The Building" star Steve Martin, who later advised her to leave it out. Politics aside, Glaser ran through other jokes that were ultimately cut from the broadcast.
"Sean Penn is nominated tonight, I'm assuming, for best neck veins. Sean Penn is here, looking like the defiant last tree standing in a rainforest."
"Leo (DiCaprio), why are you always twinting? I mean, I assume it's to read your girlfriend's ID, just making sure that the year starts with a two."
"Amy Poehler is here for her podcast, 'Good Hang,' which is what Timothée Chalamet says after sex."
"Julia Roberts was nominated for 'After the Hunt.' I don't know what it's about, but I'm assuming the hunt was to find someone who has seen it."
"Chase Infiniti is nominated for best actress tonight, and Chase Infiniti is her real name. And this is true, if you apply now, you can earn 5 percent cash back on all travel bookings through her through the end of the year. So get on that."
"Chase Infiniti Pain is actually her real name. Chase Infiniti Pain, which is also how Sean Penn gets an erection."
"Some people have stage names like 'Hacks' star Jean Smart, whose real name is Corduroy Dumbass."
"Brad Pitt is nominated for his role in 'F1' tonight. See, that's what I love about Hollywood. When a man turns 60, he gets to play a racecar driver. Meanwhile, after 35, every role for a woman is a tired mom who hates her life."
Contributing: Ralphie Aversa, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nikki Glaser reveals the jokes that didn't make the Golden Globes
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
