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Golden Globes host kept monologue under wraps

Critics give a thumbs up to Jerrod Carmichael, whose opening monologue at the Golden Globes was never disclosed at rehearsals.

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There were multiple outfit changes, some jokes that fell flat, others that nailed it, and a low-key opening monologue at the Golden Globe Awards that took aim at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Which is something Ricky Gervais got away with for years.

But this year was a lot more political due to the recent past of the HFPA.

According to Variety no one but comedian Jerrod Carmichael (The Carmichael Show) himself knew what he would say that night on live TV (I’m guessing producers had some inkling).

“During rehearsals, Carmichael practiced his stage presence, but never revealed what was in his monologue,” it reported. “In his brutally honest opener, Carmichael riffed on why he was chosen to be host (“I’m here because I’m Black”) and why he accepted the gig. He even name checked HFPA president Helen Hoehne, while referencing the scandals the org has faced in the past two years, leading to last year’s televised hiatus. But just as he took on the HFPA, he then turned it around and ended his monologue by noting he was there to celebrate Hollywood talent, much to the relief of all involved. And now, Globes producers believe they may have gotten over the hump of having to further address the controversy.”

It was a bold but candid start by Carmichael.

So how was he received as host? Pretty well according to US reviews.

Variety:

Jerrod Carmichael opened the Golden Globes by attempting to deconstruct the show before it began. Addressing the show’s absence for a year, after its presence on-air had paused amid scandals around a lack of racial inclusion in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, among other issues, Carmichael, a Black comedian, described considering whether or not it was worth lending his name and reputation to the show’s comeback. Obviously, he had said yes, but was not averse to raking the show over the coals in explaining why (money, primarily — a half-million dollar paycheck, he said) or in elucidating what wrongs had been done in the past. Carmichael, acid-tongued as any Globes host in recent memory but a less-well-known quantity than any, evinced a clear-eyed sense of what is possible in Hollywood. “I took this job assuming they hadn’t changed at all,” he said. (The laughter felt muted. Hadn’t everyone in the audience — an incomplete but very robust complement of Hollywood stars — agreed to show up as well?)

Hollywood Reporter:

So the monologue wasn’t REALLY making fun of the HFPA for the questionable diversity in its membership or its changes being cosmetic. The monologue was about why Carmichael took the gig, with one corner of the controversy as a backdrop. Justification, not evisceration or flagellation. There were fleeting references to the situation later in the show, but only fleeting, either because the producers didn’t want to dwell or because once the awards were given out and it was easily the most diverse slate of early winners in the show’s history — Ke Huy Quan! Angela Bassett! Quinta Brunson! Tyler James Williams! Michelle Yeoh! — there were other things to concentrate on. The second half of the show was dominated by more predictable Globes-y winners and absent winners, but hey… changes were made!…..Carmichael’s monologue wasn’t bad. At all. It was partial. I kept waiting for him to pick up the thread, to continue the conversation. Instead, it was easier to make fun of the Oscars, and so we got multiple Will Smith jokes, one from Carmichael and one from honoree Eddie Murphy. The reason we’ll talk about the Shelly Miscavige joke, though, is that in a toothless telecast, that joke had teeth. Otherwise, I’d just be writing that Carmichael had seven costume changes and that his various blazers, long-coats and even one poncho were spectacular.

Entertainment Weekly:

“I’m here because I’m Black.” Jerrod Carmichael kicked off the night by addressing the (white) elephant in the room, a.k.a. the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Pacing the stage contemplatively, the comedian summarized the Globes’ controversy with casual frankness (“they didn’t have a single Black member until George Floyd was killed”) while the audience tittered nervously. Carmichael’s message to the HFPA was pretty clear: You can’t go over it, under it, or around it, guys — you gotta go through it. And so he mused bluntly about the “moral racial dilemma” he faced when offered the hosting gig — “one minute you’re making mint tea at home, the next you’re invited to be the Black face of an embattled white organization” — and made sure no one in that room (or watching at home) could sweep the whole mess under the red carpet.

Deadline:

Usually a sage at reading a room, Carmichael’s short swipe at the absent Tom Cruise for returning his trio of Globes over the HFPA’s lack of Black members or a code of conduct up until about a year ago was face-plant waiting to happen – especially with Top Gun: Maverick co-stars Jay Ellis and Glen Powell standing on the other side of the stage. Carmichael’s throw-down with an extra burn on Cruise’s controversial Scientology faith and the long-pondered whereabouts of Church leader David Miscavige’s wife crashed and burned in a staid room that wasn’t interested in the pugilistic or acerbic. A later dicey bit from Carmichael that slammed both Will Smith and Rock Hudson fared no better, and a “from the hotel that killed Whitney Houston” quip drew audible scorn.

Indiewire:

Dealt an impossible hand, Jerrod Carmichael did just about everything right. To kick off the 2023 Golden Globe Awards — the first ceremony since NBC canceled last year’s telecast following a slew of accusations against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — the lead of “The Carmichael Show” and Emmy-winning stand-up special “Rothaniel” slowed things down (telling the crowd of celebrities to “settle”), took a seat (onstage!), and called it like it is: “I’ll tell you why I’m here,” he said. “I’m here because I’m Black.” While recounting how and explaining why he agreed to host — lingering questions for the discerning comedian’s fans, as well as fair questions for anyone watching — Carmichael laid the situation out plainly, in case casual viewers weren’t up to speed on the industry drama (which seems very likely, given the fading interest in live awards). “I won’t say they were a racist organization,” Carmichael said, emphasizing one aspect of the HFPA’s many past transgressions, “but they didn’t have a single Black member until George Floyd died. So do with that information what you will.” He also didn’t presume any of the organization’s promised changes resulted in actual reform (“I took this job assuming they hadn’t changed at all”), and he even put a number on his salary for the night: $500,000. He earned it. Throughout the overlong telecast, he was clever, clear, and relatively concise. Carmichael’s storytelling talents have always been top-notch, so rather than contort his comedy to fit molds of past hosts — dropping acidic barbs at audience members amid a direct-to-camera run of broad, semi-topical jokes — he played to his strengths, the crowd, and the moment. It was an excellent monologue, all the way through to a quick but effective pivot to get on with the show.

4 Responses

  1. The issue of colour no matter what country has issues I don’t feel will ever be resolved which unfortunately is the past and future of the world. But in my opinion it does swing both ways with black/white and vice versa . I’ve encountered abuse for being white which I had no say in who my parents were. Its obvious the HFPA are trying to save face on the issue but I don’t feel it was necessary to start the show that way, it could have been more subtle because those of colour jumped on the it which is understandable then it had overtones of the political issues surrounding it in America on colour which helps that issue become more contentious and on goes the same vicious cycle. We all need to look beyond colour and embrace our fellow humans for the people they are.

    1. Maybe it’s best to remember that racial/socialist political agendas have been active in Hollywood since the 1940’s and depictions of ‘Black’ or non European actors has gone through a steady creative transition process over the decades, including having African American’s starring in off beat or comedy roles like for example Ivan Dixon’s classic role as Staff Sergeant Kinchloe in the classic 60’s Hogan’s Heroes WWII TV series. Hollywood has (perhaps tenuously) attempted to look more interracial on the big screen for years, even though the past racist legacy still remained. To sum up my own opinion, there’s an old saying that says that the customer is always right, a saying that is probably not that fully appreciated nowadays, and some well known Hollywood impresario’s (producers) do seem more focused promoting their socio-political matters than just pleasing movie and TV fans by making bankable visual entertainment that will be appreciated by fans and a mass audience alike.

      1. Never rely on the customer is always right that’s been blown out of the water time and time again especially shopping when some of the staff delight in pointing out you read the instructions wrong or didn’t add up the cost yourself properly. But theirs is an old saying that some old “cockies” (relatives) use on farms I to visit: when a fire breaks out the more oxygen it gets the hotter it becomes and the further it spreads. I prefer to embrace people for who they are regardless of colour, race or creed because my daughter is of colour and I’m not, I’ve seen first hand what she and her father suffered on that score.

  2. The host was awful. All over the shop, took too long to get to the point and it was hard to keep track of what he was going on about. They need someone with more experience next time. Maybe Eddie Murphy would do it if the presenter has to be black, but he’s not lgbtiq or woman so Niecy Nash Betts could do it.

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