Why Nikki Glaser Avoided Bringing up "Hot-Button" Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Drama at Golden Globes

Blake Lively in a yellow suit, Nikki Glaser in a silver sequin dress and Justin Baldoni in a maroon sweater and gray pants

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 6 January 2025

While Nikki Glaser came out hilariously swinging at her first Golden Globes hosting gig, dropping zingers left and right at Hollywood's finest (she even made our beloved Timothée Chalamet laugh), there was one decidedly controversial topic she deliberately kept off her roasting menu on Sunday, Jan. 5.

The elephant in the room at the 82nd annual Golden Globes Awards? The ongoing drama surrounding It Ends With Us stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni (and their respective lawsuits). Glaser—who is the first woman to ever host the awards solo—cracked plenty of jokes about Ozempic, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's "holding space" moment and the pronunciation of Chalamet's name. But she steered clear of Lively and Baldoni, explaining why in a pre-show interview.

When Yahoo Entertainment caught up with Glaser before the Globes, she served up some refreshingly candid talk about why she skipped the controversy. "I think the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni thing is such a hot-button thing right now that even a mere mention of it will seem like I could be on the wrong side of things, even though I would never be," she said.

"I also don't want to give his name any—I'm mad I even know his name, to be honest with you, so I don't need to say it anymore," she added.

Nikki Glaser wearing a gold satin dress with a long train posing on the red carpet in front of a flower wall at the Golden Globes 2025 — Glaser rocked a gold gown on the red carpet.

Elaborating on her monologue philosophy, the comedian said, "People at home feel disconnected from celebrities. Although that's a thing we like about them that we put them on these pedestals, we're really looking for some humanity from them. And I would really encourage celebrities to just laugh at jokes about you."

As for Lively and Baldoni—who both skipped the Globes this year—the Gossip Girl alum recently dropped a bombshell legal complaint against her It Ends With Us co-star/director Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment during filming. Meanwhile, the Jane the Virgin star filed a $250 million lawsuit against the New York Times for printing what he's calling "false" allegations by Lively.

The latest development? Fans think Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, was secretly trolling Baldoni with one of the characters in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine.

Instead of wading into the Lively/Baldoni situation, Glaser smartly stuck to safer topics, like ballroom salmon, the Pope and ... Mario Lopez?

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.

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