Comedian Jerrod Carmichael definitely triggered some negative responses for his hosting gig at the 80th Golden Globe Awards. A new report suggests the person at the top of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was upset about some things Carmichael had to say on the show.
Jerrod Carmichael’s Golden Globe monologue centered around the entertainer calling out the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for only hiring him because he is African-American. The opening segment also included a bit about HFPA president Helen Hoehne.
“One minute you’re making mint tea at home. The next, you’re invited to be the Black face of an embattled white organization. Life really comes at you fast,” quipped Carmichael.
The 35-year-old Primetime Emmy Award winner later added, “I got an email from my publicist saying that Helen… wanted to have a one-on-one sitdown with me. I said, ‘No Thanks.’ I know a trap when I hear a trap.”
In addition, Jerrod Carmichael claimed the Hollywood Foreign Press Association reached out three different times to secure a meeting between him and Helen Hoehne. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Carmichael’s jokes did not sit well with the HPFA leader.
The industry trade publication reports:
Being name-checked so prominently at the top of the telecast — with Carmichael going so far as to call the meeting offer “a trap” — left Hoehne shocked and upset, per multiple sources. Multiple sources say Hoehne was seen being consoled by friends in the ballroom bar.
The Hollywood Reporter
However, other sources informed THR that Helen Hoehne was not upset by Carmichael’s comments. One person even suggested someone was trying to hurt Hoehne by pushing the narrative of her becoming emotional over the stand-up performance.
Jerrod Carmichael did anger some social media users. Critics viewed a joke about R&B/Pop icon Whitney Houston dying inside The Beverly Hilton hotel as disrespectful and insensitive. Carmichael also raised some eyebrows by making fun of Kanye “Ye” West’s recent antisemitic rants.