Jerrod Carmichael Golden Globes Monologue: I’m Here Because I’m Black

The return of the Golden Globes after a year-long hiatus was always destined to be a bit of an awkward affair. While many awards shows have had to sit out a year due to pandemic-related concerns, the Globes were banned from the NBC airwaves last year over concerns about racism at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). As the organization eventually expanded its membership to create a more diverse constituency, the Globes continued to make headlines for the controversial decision to transform the event into a for-profit organization.

It would have been difficult for any host to gloss over the two years of controversy, but that possibility was almost entirely ruled out when Jerrod Carmichael was chosen to host the show. The comedian has never shied away from addressing sensitive issues head-on in his philosophical stand-up specials, and he took a similar approach when he took the stage at the Beverly Hilton on Tuesday night.

“I’m your host Jerrod Carmichael, and I’m going to tell you why I’m here,” Carmichael said to open the show. “I’m here because I’m black.”

Carmichael has made no secret of his thoughts on the HFPA and has not minced words when the organization has struggled with diversity in the past.

“I won’t say they were a racist organization, but they didn’t have a single black member until George Floyd died,” he said. “Do with it what you will.”

In his trademark conversational style, Carmichael recalled the moment he was invited to host the show. “One minute you’re making mint tea at home, the next you’re being invited to be the black face of an embattled white organization,” he said.

The comedian admitted he had doubts about taking the job, but eventually took the job after his friend convinced him the $500,000 salary was too good to pass up. But he also made it clear that his presence on stage was not an endorsement of the Golden Globes as an organization, noting that he declined to meet with HFPA President Helen Hoehne before he hosted.

“I took this job assuming they hadn’t changed at all,” he said. “I heard they have six new Black members, congratulations.”

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