Nikki Glazer, host of the Golden Globes, made an unscripted jab at CBS News during Sunday’s ceremony without consulting network executives, according to sources. The comedian quipped during her monologue, “The award for most editing goes to CBS News. Yes. CBS News: America’s newest place to see-BS-news,” drawing laughter from the liberal-leaning audience.
The joke referenced recent turmoil within CBS News under new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who faced backlash for canceling a contentious “60 Minutes” segment about U.S. deportees being sent to an El Salvador prison. Though executives noted CBS News operates independently from the network’s entertainment division and expect Weiss to “move on” from the remark, the network previously drew criticism for allegedly editing an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris favorably ahead of the 2024 election. This led to a $16 million settlement with Donald Trump, who sued for “election interference.”
Beyond the CBS News controversy, Weiss, installed following Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media owner David Ellison (who also acquired her outlet, The Free Press), appointed Tony Dokoupil to anchor the “CBS Evening News.” Dokoupil’s debut last week attracted 4.4 million viewers but was marred by technical issues and the firing of producer Javier Guzman, who reportedly clashed with Weiss.
Glaser also joked about Ellison’s hostile bid for Warner Bros.—whose CEO David Zaslav attended the ceremony—mocking, “We’ll start the bidding for Warner Bros. at $5, do I hear $5?” The Globes aired on CBS and Paramount+ while Ellison competes against Netflix for the Warner Bros. acquisition.