Last week, comedian Jerrod Carmichael shocked audience members with his opening monologue for the 2023 Golden Globes. According to an insider, the president of the HFPA, Helen Hoehne, was “shocked” and “upset” with Carmichael’s monologue.
“The whole thing was so awkward and uncomfortable,” one insider said. Another added, “The show needs to be fun, and it didn’t feel fun.” Another simply said: “What did you expect?”
In the monologue, he explained how he got to host the awards show, saying it was due to him being black. He also called out the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for not having a Golden Globes last year because they came under fire for not having a Black person on the board.
“I am your host, Jerrod Carmichael, and I’ll tell you why I’m here… I’m here ’cause I’m Black,” the 35-year-old comedian said. “This show, the Golden Globe Awards, did not air last year because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association—which I won’t say they were a racist organization, but they didn’t have a single Black member until George Floyd died. So, do with that information what you will.”
He said he was offered $500,000 to host the awards show, and Hoehne wanted to meet with Carmichael to talk about the recent diverse initiatives the HFPA instituted in light of their controversy. The comedian called Hoehne’s meeting a “trap” and declined her invitation. Sources also say that Hoehne was “consoled” near the ballroom bar that night.
Hoehne wasn’t the only person upset with what Carmichael had to say. The comedian’s Whitney Houston joke angered Whitney Houston’s estate and many people on social media. Whitney’s sister-in-law, Pat Houston, said the joke was in “poor taste.” Carmichael had said that where the awards ceremony took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel was, the same place Whitney Houston died in 2011.
