Jerrod Carmichael Hosting The Golden Globes Could Be a Paradigm Shift for Awards Season (If Hollywood Is Brave Enough)

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We had a sneaking suspicion that Jerrod Carmichael would deliver an indelible performance with his first time hosting The Golden Globes, especially with all the controversy surrounding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the governing body of these awards. Not only did he give a performance that is unlike any in awards show hosting history, but it could be the signaling of a new paradigm when it comes to accountability, creative control, and, the matter at hand of course, diversity.

Jerrod didn’t mince words or time about their lack of inclusion leading to his invitation to host the ceremony and, in a style akin to Jerrod from Rothaniel, he sat down and spoke with uncut candor. Yes, there were also jokes and they were dark and funny as to fulfill the promise of the promos claiming “a night of joy and devastation”. It seemed clear that the NBC and the HFPA really let Jerrod do what he wanted as he opened the evening by dissecting his moral quandary of hosting the Globes with lines such as “being the black face for an embattled white organization” that are truly cutting rather than the sort of the Friars-Club-roast style that Gervais brought with him for a few years.

Though there were literally jaw dropping moments (cameras were quick to catch all the gasps from the biggest celebs in attendance), this very well may be part of the appropriate penance that the HFPA is serving to make up for their transgressions. It’s hard to say what accountability looks like at these high powered, glitzy affairs since there isn’t really a consensus protocol as what “embattled” parties ought to do. Jerrod freely getting to call out the organization that specifically hired him and also taking a daring and very clever shot at Scientology and Tom Cruise (note that Top Gun: Maverick is now the 12th highest grossing movie of all time and will probably be remembered as saving the movie exhibition business at the far end of the pandemic) is a pretty good start.

The address to the Hollywood stars and power players in the room and the audience at home felt free of a teleprompter and only added to how sincere and how searing Jerrod’s monologue was. In fact, the whole evening had some semblance of that with award winners ignoring being played off, Colin Farrell starting off his speech by complimenting Ana De Armas on stage after she handed him the award, and the presence and majesty of Jennifer Coolidge (other award shows should think about having her host?). Again, there really hasn’t been an awards hosting performance quite like this one from Jerrod compared to signature hosting from the likes of Billy Crystal, Jimmy Kimmel, or Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

Whether this was truly “a night of joy and devastation” will have to be discerned after awards season is over and the strategizing for the next round begins. Certainly, it was a delight to see Jerrod seemingly get free reign and we can only hope that only more of that happens (it certainly will make it more enthralling to watch and discuss and rewatch on YouTube over and over and over).