Chris Rock and other comedians turn down offer to host Golden Globes

Barbie and Ken will likely be on stage at the Golden Globes next month, but show organizers have had difficulty finding someone with the “Kenthusiasm” to emcee the event. With the Globe nominations being announced this Monday morning (11), a search for the presenter is still underway, according to CNN found.

Chris Rock, who has hosted the Oscars twice, is among those who have turned down offers to host the ceremony on January 7, a source with knowledge of the conversations told CNN as well as at least four other A-list comedic actors.

A representative for Rock declined to comment. Rock, who was also invited to host last year’s Golden Globes, last attended a major awards show in 2022, when he was famously slapped at the Oscars by Will Smith for telling a joke that referenced Jada Pinkett Smith’s battle with alopecia. Rock will likely be nominated in the best television stand-up comedy performance category for his Netflix special, “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage.”

Others who refused

Another potential nominee for her performance in the Netflix series “Beef,” Ali Wong, has also been approached to present the Golden Globes, a source told CNN . As first reported by Puck, Wong declined the invitation, the source said. A representative for Wong declined to comment. Will Arnett, Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman, who co-host the “SmartLess” podcast, turned down a joint offer to host the Golden Globes, two sources aware of the deal told CNN .

A representative for “SmartLess” declined to comment. Had the trio accepted, it would have been the first time the Golden Globes had three hosts since Louis Gossett Jr., Leslie Nielsen and Jane Seymour co-hosted the show in 1993. Most of the 81 annual dinner ceremonies actually took place without a host, but the Golden Globes seem to attract more attention when they have one…or two. There is little hope that Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, who co-hosted the Golden Globes four times to critical acclaim, will return.

The two previously promised that they will no longer do the work. It looks like they were serious. A Golden Globes spokesperson declined to comment, but a source familiar with the search said there are “three very serious conversations” underway with potential presenters.

This year, the Golden Globes move to a new broadcast home on CBS. One possible outcome is, of course, that CBS chooses one of its own stars to play the role for three hours of free promotion. NBC has taken this approach several times as the previous broadcaster of the Golden Globes, casting the network’s comedic talents like Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and Andy Samberg as hosts of the event. On ABC, the network’s star Jimmy Kimmel will return to host the Oscars in March for the fourth time.

It’s not uncommon for talent to turn down the job of presenting a big award, and it’s certainly not unique to the Golden Globes. For an up-and-coming comedian, the job may be the opportunity of a lifetime, but for a seasoned veteran, with all the preparation and immediate – often negative – feedback, it’s not worth it. “It’s a thankless job,” one celebrity publicist told CNN . “It’s not worth it,” another top publicist said about presenting awards shows. “There is a lot of politics. It’s not easy and it’s not fun anymore.”

A transformation in Hollywood

While the host for the Globes, which will take place in the coming weeks, is still in question, the Beverly Hilton ballroom could be attended by likely nominees such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, Martin Scorsese, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Meryl Streep, Selena Gomez, Emma Stone, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Aniston and Quinta Brunson.

The Golden Globes will kick off a busy awards season as the entertainment industry seeks to bring glitz, glamor and celebration back to Hollywood after two strikes halted most productions for much of 2023. The Globes Golden is also working to overcome a scandal that emerged in 2021 when the Los Angeles Times documented the lack of black members in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which presented the awards, and possible ethical transgressions related to the outsized influence of its then-87 international journalists. .

A group of advertisers has called on the HFPA to implement “profound and lasting change” in its “pervasive practice of discriminatory behavior, lack of professionalism, ethical impropriety and alleged financial corruption.” They also advised their talent to boycott the event, and NBC refused to air the ceremony in 2022. The HFPA has since disbanded, and the Golden Globes have new ownership, with Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge Industries acquiring the show.

The changes have calmed calls for protest this time around, according to several Hollywood publicists who spoke to the company. CNN and said their clients are excited to attend the Golden Globes next month. The fact remains that last January’s ceremony at NBC (hosted by Jerrod Carmichael) had the second-worst ratings ever with 6.3 million total viewers, a 26% drop from previous Globes that were broadcast. The event could probably benefit from the help of a famous presenter to improve this…if the organizers can find one.