Nikki Glaser’s successful career as a comedian, actress, and television host might never have taken off if it weren’t for one fateful late-night lineup change.
The just-announced host of the 2025 Golden Globes was “broke and hungover” when she made her first late-night appearance on The Tonight Show in 2009—and it might never have happened had Paula Abdul not canceled on Jay Leno earlier that day.
In a 2022 interview with Graham Bensinger, Glaser recalled how she got her big break. She explained that she had initially been approved to do a set for The Tonight Show, but “lost hope” after nearly two years went by without hearing anything.
“I waited and waited and waited, and it just felt like it wasn’t happening,” she said. “I would never check in. If someone doesn’t want me, I’m not gonna push it. That’s on you at this point. I know I’m talented enough.”
Glaser continued doing stand-up and temp work for a couple of years, though she admitted she “wasn’t doing well” in her personal and professional life. But then everything changed one morning when she (while hungover) got the phone call of a lifetime.
“I got a call from The Tonight Show at 11 a.m.,” she said. “They were like, ‘Nikki, it’s Ross Mark from The Tonight Show… Paula Abdul dropped out today. Is there any chance that you can do the show?’”
The last-minute booking completely changed the course of Glaser’s career. After her stint on The Tonight Show, she subsequently landed on Conan and the NBC reality series Last Comic Standing. Her own comedy talk show, Not Safe with Nikki Glaser, premiered on Comedy Central in February 2016, and her debut feature stand-up special, Perfect, followed that April. Earlier this year, Glaser became a household name when she famously skewered Tom Brady during Netflix’s roast of the football great.
Glaser will host the 82nd Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, January 5, 2025 on CBS.
