Celebs Nikki Glaser can and can’t joke about at Golden Globes as she reveals her strict rules

Nikki Glaser has insisted that “everyone is fair game” at the Golden Globes 2026, which aired on Sunday, 11 January, but in reality, there are some celebrities she can, and can’t, joke about.

Last year, some of Glaser’s jokes were so controversial that they didn’t even make it to air. This time around, though, she’s taken a different approach. She shared her rules, who she’s not willing to joke about, and the topics she deliberately steers clear of.

So, who’s actually off-limits?

Glaser has quickly learned that some celebrities are effectively untouchable, and audiences make that very clear. At the top of that list is Julia Roberts.

Speaking on CBS Mornings, Glaser explained, “I’m trying out my monologue around L.A., at the clubs here, and just even any joke about Julia Roberts, they are not there for. You cannot make fun of America’s sweetheart.”

The reaction genuinely surprised her. “They were booing, and I was like, ‘Is she here?’” she added.

Glaser has also become more cautious about joking about plus-ones, particularly Kylie Jenner.

“There seems to be so much fodder there,” she told Yahoo Entertainment, “but that moment between them at the Critics Choice Awards was so sweet.” She also admitted, “I know her from The Kardashians and I feel like she’s my friend. I don’t want to go hard on her.”

She told PEOPLE, “Sometimes I don’t like going after plus-ones. They’re not the ones being nominated. They didn’t ask for this.”

So, what topics did she ban herself from touching?

via Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Some jokes didn’t make the cut, not because Glaser couldn’t go there, but because she didn’t want to.

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Plastic surgery jokes were dropped altogether. “Now it’s become so ubiquitous, and it’s almost become body shaming to make fun of people modifying their bodies,” Glaser said. She also confirmed that Ozempic jokes were off the table this year, saying simply, “Ozempic’s been done.”

Nepo baby jokes didn’t survive either, with Glaser previously describing them as tired and no longer interesting.

Anything deeply depressing or tied to ongoing controversies was also scrapped. Speaking to Yahoo Entertainment, Glaser said she avoids material that could feel mean-spirited or make it seem like she’s taking sides. “I don’t want to ruin anyone’s night,” she explained.

So who could, and did, she joke about?

Glaser has been clear that when she does joke about someone, it comes from admiration rather than dislike.

“I’m not going to be so mean that anyone is going to hate me for the rest of their career,” she told PEOPLE. “I’m writing from a place of love. I wouldn’t do a joke about someone I actually didn’t like.”

She added, “If I joke about you, it’s because I admire you. I think you’re cool and probably have a good sense of humour.”

That approach still left plenty of room to go after major A-listers at the Golden Globes 2026. She joked about Leonardo DiCaprio’s dating history, which he appeared to take in good spirits. She teased Timothée Chalamet about bulking up for Marty Supreme. Then she also moved into darker territory with carefully structured jokes about the Epstein files, aiming her humour upwards rather than at victims.

As Glaser said herself, she prefers “a little wink and a nod” rather than anything too heavy-handed, especially on a night that’s meant to feel like an escape.

For more like this, like The Tab on Facebook. Featured image via Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock.