The Trump-appointed president of the Kennedy Center has slammed comedian Nikki Glaser’s hosting skills.
Glaser steered Sunday’s Golden Globes Awards and even called out CBS, the network airing the event, as part of her ruthless opening monologue.
“And the award for most editing goes to CBS News!” Glaser said, referencing the network spiking a 60 Minutes segment on the CECOT prison last month to placate the Trump administration.
“Yes, CBS News: America’s newest place to see B.S. news,” the comedian said.
Glaser also remarked on all the “A-listers” present at the event, which is held at The Beverly Hilton. “And by A-listers, I mean people who are on ‘a list’ that has been heavily redacted,” Glaser said, referring to the Epstein files that the Trump administration is still reluctant to release in full.
She continued, “And the Golden Globe for Best Editing goes to the Justice Department.”
That MAGA criticism seemed to trigger Ric Grenell, president of the Kennedy Center, who shared his feedback on X before switching channels.
“@NikkiGlaser is clearly intimidated by Hollywood elites,“ Grenell posted. “Jokes are typical lefty… Over to football…”
Despite Grenell’s claims, Glaser took aim at some of the movie world’s biggest names, including Leonardo DiCaprio, and mocked his penchant for dating younger women.
“You’ve worked with every great director, you’ve won three Golden Globes, an Oscar, and the most impressive thing is that you were able to accomplish all of that before your girlfriend turned 30,” Glaser said.
“Leo, I’m sorry I made that joke. It’s cheap. You know what, I tried not to but we don’t know anything else about you man. Like, open up! The most in-depth interview you’ve ever given was in Teen Beat Magazine in 1991. Is your favorite food still pasta, pasta and more pasta?”
The Daily Beast has contacted the Kennedy Center and the White House for additional comment.
Grenell’s lashing of the Golden Globes host comes after a string of artists have withdrawn from shows at the Kennedy Center under his watch.
He has insisted the center is bipartisan and that a “woke mob” is forcing artists to scrap shows at the venue, citing problems with President Donald Trump and his administration.
After Grammy-winning musician Béla Fleck pulled out of upcoming shows at the venue last week, pointing out that “Performing there has become charged and political,” Grenell was infuriated.
“You just made it political and caved to the woke mob who wants you to perform for only Lefties,” Grenell posted on X, channelling typical MAGA talking points.
“This mob pressuring you will never be happy until you only play for Democrats.”
On Friday, the Washington National Opera announced it was leaving the Kennedy Center after more than 50 years of residency, citing financial issues with the venue’s new structure, which requires artists to fully fund their own productions in advance.
Grenell took to X to insist the opera’s long-standing arrangement with the Kennedy Center was “not financially smart.”
“We have spent millions of dollars to support the Washington Opera’s exclusivity, and yet they were still millions of dollars in the hole - and getting worse,” Grenell wrote.
Over 10 artists have pulled out of performing at the venue after it changed its signage to read, “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center.”
Trump’s handpicked board voted on Dec. 18 to add the president’s name to the building, despite having zero legal authority to do so.
Musician Ben Folds served as the National Symphony Orchestra’s first artistic adviser at the Kennedy Center before resigning in February last year due to political developments.
“My friends in the National Symphony Orchestra—some have varying views about how they should be handling this, but nobody’s happy or inspired by it,“ Folds told the Meidas Touch podcast on Sunday. ”They’re really worried about their jobs, and they’re in a different position than me."
Folds added that everyone has “to find their own space” at the venue that has been tainted by Trump.
“I personally wouldn’t touch the place while it’s nuclear right now because I don’t think that you’re really... I wouldn’t feel safe playing there,” he said. “I wouldn’t think that I was in good hands. I wouldn’t think people are going to show up.”
