Podcast Summary: Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa

Episode: Nikki Glaser: Is Golden Globes Ready
Date: January 7, 2026
Host: Kelly Ripa
Guest: Nikki Glaser

Episode Overview

In this revealing and comedic episode, Kelly Ripa sits down with comedian Nikki Glaser ahead of Nikki's repeat turn hosting the Golden Globes. Together, they discuss the anxiety and realities behind high-profile performances, the emotional costs of comedy (and roasting), self-worth and beauty standards in entertainment, and what it really takes to prepare for hosting a major awards show. The conversation is candid, funny, and brimming with mutual admiration, giving listeners an off-camera look at success, self-doubt, and the power of authenticity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life Behind the Spotlight: Self-Doubt, Anxiety, and "Imposter Syndrome"

• Nikki shares her move back to St. Louis after years in LA/NYC: “I can always just, you know, fly to where there’s work, and so no one really knows I’m there. Everyone in LA thinks I’m in New York, and everyone in New York thinks I’m in LA. And it works out great.” (03:14)

• Both Nikki and Kelly bond over being reluctant socializers, dreading events they agree to in advance (04:04-04:46).

• Discussion of imposter syndrome: “Everyone is having social anxiety. Everyone dreads everything. And it’s nice that I project that because…when I’m on stage…the second I step out…the feelings disappear. And I’m always having fun.” (05:09-05:57)

  • Quote:

    "I’m constantly self-doubting and feeling insecure...she’s inside your head, Kelly."
    — Nikki Glaser, (05:09-05:57)

• Kelly reveals her “crippling anxiety” and fear of public speaking, despite her TV success:

  "My therapist told me that the reason I do my job is because I’m trying to cure myself. Spoiler alert: There is no cure. But I have crippling anxiety and fear of public speaking."
  — Kelly Ripa, (06:21)

2. Expectation vs. Reality at Social Events

• Both comedians feel the pressure at dinner parties and industry events to be “on” and entertaining, and the discomfort this brings.

• Nikki confesses to feeling “the least important person in this room” at high-profile parties and getting feedback that she was “boring” when she was actually anxious and closing off (09:07-11:14).

  • Quote:

    "I’m just not really a roast comic off stage…sometimes I go to these things and…they kind of know who I am now, which I’m not used to, and they’re very excited to meet me because they think it’s gonna be like, joke after joke…and I’m just not really a roast comic off stage."
    — Nikki Glaser, (08:41-09:08)

3. Preparing for the Golden Globes: The Craft and the Caution

• Nikki takes her Globes hosting extremely seriously, outlining a rigorous preparation process:

  • Building a writer’s room and brainstorming jokes (15:44)
  • Trying material at LA comedy clubs and memorizing the set so it’s bulletproof if prompter fails (16:10)
  • Adapting jokes to avoid hurting feelings:

    "There’s someone we might come after this year…I don’t think they have a good sense of humor…but it’s someone that is…maybe takes themselves too seriously...So I’ve been like, we need to write jokes about how this person isn't going to laugh."
    — Nikki Glaser, (19:06-20:14)

• Backup plans for everything: “If the mic goes out, do I have a joke? If I slip on my dress, do I have a joke?...We’ve kind of looked at every awards show and all the kind of faux pas that have happened, and I’m like, I want a line for everything.” (20:14)

4. The Ethics and Limits of Roasting

• Nikki reflects on the pain and hazard of intensive roasts:

  "There have been times where I’ve been, you know, my feelings have been deeply hurt by roast…at the after party, I’m in the bathroom crying and texting my…injection lady to be like, get the bird out of my face."
  — Nikki Glaser, (28:34-29:06)

• She explains she retaliates only privately, dreaming of quiet revenge but never acts unkindly in public (30:13-30:46).

5. Material Development and Celebrity Sensitivity

• Jokes are tested and sometimes cleared with their subjects: Nikki reached out to Benny Blanco and Selena Gomez before making a joke about them at the Globes (25:53-27:35).

  • Quote:

    "I got his number from someone and just cold called him and said, hey, I have this joke. Can you…totally fine if you don’t want me to do it. And he was like, let me run it by Selena and I’ll get back to you…”
    — Nikki Glaser, (26:21-27:35)

• Standup as therapy:

  "I am always driven by admitting things that I shouldn’t be admitting. Just in case there’s one girl out there who projects some kind of perfection onto me…"
  — Nikki Glaser, (42:44)

6. Beauty Standards, Insecurity, and the Dual Challenge for Women in Comedy

• Nikki and Kelly discuss the link between looks and value in entertainment, especially for women. Nikki shares the internalized obsession with thinness and beauty, and how it competes with perfecting her craft (35:51-37:00):

  • The pressure of being both hot and funny:

    "There’s just a desire to have the acceptance both from…my dad who admires people who are funny, and then my mom who admires people who are hot. So I’m trying to do both."
    — Nikki Glaser, (37:00-39:50)

• Discussing Ozempic and changing attitudes toward weight in comedy and Hollywood (33:45-35:52).

7. Hosting SNL: Anxiety and the High of Live TV

• Nikki recounts her experience hosting SNL:

  • Terrifying in the lead-up (“paralyzed” with fear), but once live, it’s exhilarating (47:24-48:31).

  • Quote:

    "It’s the thing that I almost thought I would never get…then getting to do it was just…it’s almost left me in a weird position of, like, then what’s the point of going on? Like, I just did the thing that was the goal and would mean that I made it and I don’t need to do anything else."
    — Nikki Glaser, (47:49-48:31)

  • She loved the SNL environment, the team, and the live aspect—wants to do it again.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Time | Speaker | Quote/Moment | |----------|---------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 05:09 | Nikki | “I’m constantly self-doubting and feeling insecure...she’s inside your head, Kelly.” | | 11:14 | Kelly | “We will bleed for you. We will die. Anybody that shows up and does our after Oscar show, we will go down in flames.” | | 19:06 | Nikki | “We need to write jokes about how this person isn’t going to laugh...What if we do get this person to crack?” | | 28:34 | Nikki | “There have been times where I’ve been, you know, my feelings have been deeply hurt by roasts…at the after party, I’m in the bathroom crying...” | | 35:51 | Nikki | “Being beautiful and thin is like enough to make you famous…You don’t need a talent…as long as you’re hot.” | | 42:44 | Nikki | "I am always driven by admitting things that I shouldn't be admitting..." | | 47:49 | Nikki | “It’s the thing I thought I would never get…then what’s the point of going on?” |

Important Timestamps

• 03:14 – Nikki on living in St. Louis and her “drug of choice” (work)
• 05:09 – The illusion of confidence and admitting self-doubt
• 11:14 – Kelly on team loyalty for guests
• 14:01 – Nikki writing and starring in new movies, including Kim Kardashian film
• 15:44-18:00 – The rigorous process of prepping for the Golden Globes
• 19:06-20:14 – Roasting people who “can’t take a joke” and planning for interruptions
• 25:53-27:35 – Clearing jokes with Benny Blanco for the Globes
• 33:45-37:00 – Thinness, Ozempic, and worth in Hollywood
• 42:44 – Standup as therapy and saying the things no one wants to say
• 47:49-48:31 – Hosting SNL and the strange “after” feeling
• 52:53 – The SNL family and the excitement of a live week

Final Thoughts

This episode lifts the curtain on the personal struggles, complex preparations, and ethical tightropes navigated by a top comedian like Nikki Glaser—and by Kelly Ripa herself. It’s an honest, hilarious, and sometimes raw conversation about perfection, performance, and just what happens when the cameras stop rolling.

Upcoming:

• Nikki Glaser will host the 83rd Annual Golden Globes on January 11 (CBS).
• Nikki is working on two films, and filming another with Eva Longoria, Kim Kardashian, Brenda Song, and Fortune Feimster.

“I just want everyone to like me. I want men to like me, women to be my best friend.” — Nikki Glaser, (45:26)