Golden Globes host under fire for ‘awful’ Will Smith joke

Many of Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael’s jokes fell flat – but one in particular left those in the room stunned and viewers horrified.

Just when you thought that things couldn’t get any more dicey for 2023 Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael than they were during his extremely awkward opening monologue, the stand-up comedian went and made things really uncomfortable for the Hollywood Foreign Press, the Golden Globe attendees, and the viewing audience at home.

Earlier in the evening, Carmichael earned some raves (on Twitter, not in the room) for his jab at Tom Cruise and Scientology, but Carmichael pushed his luck a bit a bit too far when he attempted to crack a joke at Will Smith’s expense.

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Some of Jerrod Carmichael’s Golden Globes jokes were met with a tepid response. Picture: Rich Polk/NBC via Getty

“Okay you guys, really quick. Just some quick housekeeping stuff, if you’re listening, if everyone’s listening,” Carmichael began. (If you’re curious, the room was NOT really listening; Carmichael struggled to keep the audience’s attention all evening long.) “While we were on commercial, we actually presented Will Smith with the Rock Hudson Award for Best Portrayal of Masculinity on television.”

There was stunned silence in the room.

Actor Rock Hudson was one of Hollywood’s leading men – but kept his sexuality secret.

If you’re unfamiliar with the reference, here’s some background. Rock Hudson was a matinee idol who rose to fame in the ‘50s as one of Hollywood’s leading men and sex symbols, until the (then) closeted actor’s life and career took an unexpectedly tragic turn when he was diagnosed with (and subsequently died from) AIDS. Hudson was, at the time of his death in 1985, arguably the most famous person to have died from the disease, and it wasn’t until he passed that his identity as a homosexual man was revealed.

Will Smith slaps Chris Rock at last year’s Oscars. Picture: REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Will Smith, on the other hand, presents as a heterosexual male, is married to a famous actress (Jada Pinkett Smith), and got in all kinds of hot water last March for slapping Oscars host Chris Rock when Rock made a fairly innocuous joke at his wife’s expense. So what was Carmichael — who famously came out as gay himself during his HBO stand-up special Rothaniel — insinuating, exactly, by drawing a direct link between the two seemingly unrelated actors?

Well, someone is definitely going to ask Carmichael for a follow-up explanation in the coming days, but for now, Carmichael’s off-colour joke seems to be inspiring some outrage and strong accusations on Twitter:

Didn’t Rock Hudson suffer enough in his lifetime?

— Barefoot Appalachian Li'l Abner Barbie (@HRHPrinceFrank) January 11, 2023

Jerrod goes for the throat at #GoldenGlobes and misses a bit. "We presented Will Smith with the Rock Hudson award for best portrayal of masculinity in film."

— Eric Deggans at NPR (@Deggans) January 11, 2023

Did I mishear that or did they just cheap ass joke demean Rock Hudson and Will Smith after the heartfelt LGBTQIA boosting by Ryan Murphy. #goldenglobes

— MichelleDeniseNorton🩸🦷 (@mdnightmaverick) January 11, 2023

Am I missing something or was that just a really homophobic joke about Rock Hudson?

— THEE Stephen Donsky (@stevedonsky) January 11, 2023

Jerrod Carmichael, who I never heard off, drops homophobic BOMB re: Rock Hudson, whose death from AIDS was credited with bringing attention to an epidemic that went on to kill millions of men, women and children of all backgrounds from around the world. @goldenglobes

— Your Average Thea (@EKeratsis) January 11, 2023

Get it, because gay men, like Rock Hudson, aren’t masculine. Get it? #GoldenGlobes2023

— Sarah Carlson (@sarahkcarlson) January 11, 2023

That Will Smith joke was awful #GoldenGlobespic.twitter.com/XlYURng2Rh

— rosechocglam (@rosechocglam) January 11, 2023

Carmichael, perhaps paying homage to the flamethrower and former Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais, wasn’t done roasting his peers and biting the hand that feeds him, though. Later in the evening, he described the venue that’s hosting the Globes, the Beverly Hilton, as “the hotel that killed Whitney Houston.” (Yeeeesh!)

While it remains up in the air as to whether US TV network NBC will host another Golden Globes after tonight, you can be fairly certain that they won’t be asking Carmichael to host again.

This story originally appeared on Decider and is republished here with permission.

Originally published as Golden Globes host under fire for ‘awful’ Will Smith joke