'It's Just Brutal': Nikki Glaser Reveals 'Terrible' Scrapped Sydney Sweeney Joke

Comedian Nikki Glaser has admitted to pulling a 'savage' joke targeting actress Sydney Sweeney from her 2026 Golden Globes monologue, confessing the material was ultimately deemed too cruel for the broadcast.

The sharp-tongued Glaser, who hosted the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards for the second consecutive year on 11 January, revealed the 'Stern File'—a collection of jokes too risky for network television—during a post-show appearance on The Howard Stern Show.

Her target was Sydney Sweeney, the Euphoria breakout star who spent much of 2025 attempting to pivot into prestige cinema and gritty biopics.

The most controversial quip aimed at Sweeney's boxing biopic, Christy, mocked its poor commercial performance.

The joke reportedly read: 'People just aren't going to the theatres to see things... there was a movie this year where Sydney Sweeney played a lesbian who just bounced around in tiny shorts for two hours and it made $14.'

The jokes were written for the live ceremony on Sunday but were only revealed by Glaser during her interview on Tuesday, 13 January. The awards were held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, while the revelation occurred during a radio broadcast in New York.

Glaser explained that the decision to axe the line was partly due to Sweeney's absence from the ceremony.

The comedian noted that 'roasting' a celebrity who isn't in the room to react can often feel 'mean-spirited' rather than playful. She also admitted that the audience reaction during rehearsals suggested the joke 'didn't quite land,' with many feeling that reducing a film about domestic violence and professional boxing to a 'tiny shorts' punchline crossed a line from satire into genuine insensitivity.

The 'Box Office Bomb' Context

The scrapped joke touched on a genuine sore spot for Sweeney's 2025 career trajectory. Her highly anticipated biopic of boxer Christy Martin, for which Sweeney underwent a massive physical transformation and gained significant muscle, performed well at the box office. Despite a $15 million (£11.8 million) budget, the film reportedly opened to just $1.3 million, making it one of the most high-profile 'queer cinema' flops of the year.

Glaser's jab aimed to highlight the current 'weird time in Hollywood' where even established A-listers struggle to draw audiences to cinemas. However, by focusing on Sweeney's appearance rather than the film's artistic merits, the joke sparked a backlash among Glaser's own writing team. The comedian confessed that she is now 'OK with losing stuff' that might genuinely hurt feelings, prioritising the overall energy of the room over a singular 'savage' moment.

A Monologue of Scrapped A-Listers

Sweeney was not the only star to narrowly escape Glaser's 'Stern File.' The host revealed she also pulled a 'brutal' joke about Brad Pitt's age in the racing film F1, which would have pointed out the double standard of 60-year-old men playing action heroes while 35-year-old women are cast as 'tired mums.' She also scrapped a series of 'mean' observations about Sean Penn's appearance, which she compared to 'an expensive leather handbag.'

Glaser's second stint as host has been largely praised for its balance of 'roast and toast,' but these revelations show the fine line hosts must walk in the post-cancel-culture era. While her joke about Leonardo DiCaprio's dating history remained a highlight of the night, Glaser's willingness to self-censor the Sweeney jab suggests a strategic shift toward 'punching up' rather than targeting specific commercial failures.

The Viral Fallout

Despite the joke never making it to the airwaves, its reveal has sparked a secondary wave of discourse online. Fans of Sweeney have defended the actress, arguing that the Christy biopic was a serious artistic endeavour that didn't deserve to be 'trivialised' for a cheap laugh. Conversely, comedy purists have lamented the 'softening' of award show monologues, arguing that the Golden Globes should remain the one night where Hollywood's ego is legitimately challenged.

For Glaser, the decision to share the 'Stern File' serves as a peek behind the curtain of high-stakes comedy. By admitting the joke was 'just brutal,' she has managed to have her cake and eat it too, maintaining her reputation as a fearless roaster while technically keeping her hands clean of the most divisive material on the night.