Jerrod Carmichael roasts racist Golden Globes in his opening monologue – Rolling Stone

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Following a series of high-profile controversies, from the revelation that there were no black members in its ranks to allegations of corruption – including an extraordinarily brazen luxury press trip to Paris courtesy of Netflix which resulted in a number of nominations for Emily in Paris – The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globe Awards returned to television on Tuesday night.

The 80th annual awards show of course hit the airwaves last year (and relegated to Twitter) after the aforementioned controversies came to light, and this one saw Best Actor nominee Brendan Fraser, star of The Whale, sitting out the protest ceremony, due to his allegation that former HFPA President Philip Berk groped him.

Host Jerrod Carmichael, one of the world’s most talented stand-up comedians — and the first black host in the show’s long history — didn’t address the Philip Berk cloud hanging over the proceedings, but he dove headlong into the race controversy during his opening monologue.

“Hello. Welcome to the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards. I’m your host, Jerrod Carmichael. And I’ll tell you why I’m here. I’m here because I’m black,” he began.

He continued: ‘That show, the Golden Globe Awards, didn’t air last year because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association – which I won’t say was a racist organization, but it didn’t have only one black member until the death of George Floyd, so do with this information what you will.

Carmichael then sat on the steps of the stage as his extraordinary HBO stand-up special Rothaniel and explained why he decided to host the show. He said that when he was offered the gig, which again aired from the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles, he called his pal Avery, who asked how much they were paying him. Carmichael told them the number: $500,000.

“Boy, if you don’t put on a good suit and take white people’s money,” his pal replied.

“Where I’m from, we all live by a strict ‘take the money’ mentality,” Carmichael explained. “I bet black FBI informants in the 60s, their families were always proud of them. They were like, ‘Have you heard of Clarence’s new job? They pay him eight bucks an hour to report on Dr. King! This is a good job of the government! Tendency

The comic revealed that he had turned down several meeting requests from HFPA President Helen Hoehne, a white German journalist, who wanted to talk to him about “the changes the organization has made in diversity.”

“I took this job assuming they hadn’t changed at all. At all,” Carmichael joked. “I heard they had six new black members. Kudos to them, whatever. Safe. That’s not why I’m here. I’m here, really, because all of you — I look around this room and I see a lot of talented people… and whatever the history of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, this is a night we can celebrate. And I think this industry deserves nights like these.

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