Jerrod Carmichael Sparks Controversy After Hosting 80th Golden Globe Awards

Jerrod Carmichael hosted the 80th Golden Globe Awards and wanted all the smoke. From jokes about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the very organization who hired him, to Tom Cruise and Will Smith … no one was safe.

Carmichael was tapped to host Hollywood’s biggest party after the HFPA was forced to take a hiatus following allegations of racist membership practices. He wasted no time addressing the elephant in the room with his nearly 8-minute monologue.

Monologue So Black

“I’m here because I’m Black,” he told the audience with direct honesty. Carmichael then referenced bombshell reports originating in the Los Angeles Times in 2021 that the notoriously insular HFPA didn’t have a single Black journalist among its membership.

“The Golden Globes did not air last year because the Hollywood Foreign Press… I won’t say they are a racist organization, but they didn’t have a single Black member until George Floyd died,” Carmichael said, taking a seat at the foot of the stage. “Do with that information what you will.”

Like previous hosts, Ricky Gervais, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the comedian also made sure to poke fun at the Hollywood A-listers seated throughout the room. Unfortunately his jokes were met with cheers and jeers.

 

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Twitter Divided

Still folks on Twitter seemed to be divided. Some applauded him for making white folks uncomfortable while others called his jokes distasteful and tacky.

Jerrod Carmichael is so unfunny it’s painful. There’s so many talented comics of color that could have held the #GoldenGlobes feet to the fire in their monologue.. while also being funny.. This show is lacking any laughs.. :/

— Pop Culture Obsessed (@PopCulture4U2) January 11, 2023

Watching Jerrod Carmichael roast and rip apart the HFPA in that monologue was amazing to see.

Just making everyone rightfully uncomfortable in that auditorium.#GoldenGlobes #GoldenGlobes2023 #GoldenGlobeAwards

— 🎅 Eggnog Dylan 🐵 🎅 (@elongatedbean) January 11, 2023

A big part of me wants to applaud Jerrod Carmichael for being so ruthless at the Golden Globes, but another part of me can’t help but sit here like pic.twitter.com/qjgXrHqvem

— LivvRose 💛 (@grlbehindscrn) January 11, 2023

No Laughing Matter

One joke that earned him major backlash was about the death of Whitney Houston. After the commercial break, Carmichael said he was asked to shout out the venue. “So, we are here, live, from the hotel that killed Whitney Houston, the Beverly Hilton,” he said to near silence in the room.

Whitney’s longtime manager and sister-in-law told TMZ  “The Whitney Houston Estate is disappointed in the joke, and felt it was in poor taste.”

Other celebs like Naturi Naughton also expressed their outrage over the joke tweeting:

Realllly #jerrodcarmichael 🤦🏾‍♀️ “the hotel that killed Whitney Houston, so that’s very exciting!” @goldenglobes NOT Funny! these jokes aren’t landing #jerrodcarmichael #GoldenGlobes #GoldenGlobes2023 #IJS 🤷🏾‍♀️

— Naturi Naughton (@naturinaughton) January 11, 2023

Leah Remini Approved

The former The Carmichael Show star also made a controversial joke about Tome Cruise and The Church of Scientology that was met with less outrage.

“Backstage, I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned …I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige,” he said referring to a high-ranking Scientologist who’s been out of public view for years.

#GoldenGlobes host Jerrod Carmichael makes a dig at Scientology: “Backstage, I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned…I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige.” https://t.co/m069JEKekW pic.twitter.com/fw25ng5nU2

— Variety (@Variety) January 11, 2023

Former Scientologist Leah Remini thanked Carmichael for this joke in a post on her Twitter account.

So do you think he will get an invite back to host next year? Let us know in the comments.