Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Dustin Rowles | TV | January 12, 2026
I bounced in and out of the Golden Globes telecast last night because there was a lot going on (the Pats game, Industry, finishing up Traitors), but I did catch Nikki Glaser’s monologue, which worked to surprising effect given her reputation. She took aim at the celebrities in attendance, but she was never particularly mean-spirited. Still, whenever she singled someone out, I braced myself for the worst, only to be pleasantly surprised by some light ribbing. She didn’t take it easy, but she didn’t go hard, either. Once again, she found the right balance (and probably learned a little something from her terrible SNL monologue).
Special note for calling out CBS News on CBS.
Much of the rest of the telecast was kind of mid. Partnering with Polymarket to turn the ceremony into a live, crypto-style prediction market event was a bust, and also a sign of things to come (MoviePass, for instance, is apparently heading into the box-office prediction market now). Aside from Teyana Taylor’s speech, there weren’t many memorable moments (Rose Byrne had a fun shout-out to her husband, Bobby Cannavale), and the only genuinely good bit I saw was George Clooney and Don Cheadle presenting Best Drama.
We do, however, have to recognize Wanda Sykes for presenting Best Stand-Up Special and gently roasting the nominees (except for Bill Maher, and there was nothing gentle about that). Ricky Gervais ultimately won the award, which Polymarket correctly predicted. I have no idea why. I’ve seen Gervais’s special. It’s abominable, and not because it’s anti-woke or whatever. It’s just bad (and from what I understand, the first 15 minutes were allegedly lifted from Louis C.K.).
Anyway, shout-out to Sykes for accepting the award on Gervais’s behalf and thanking God and the trans community as a thumb in Gervais’s eye.
