CNN –
Barbie and Ken are likely to take the stage at the Golden Globes next month, but show organizers had a hard time finding someone with “Kenthusiasm” to host the event.
CNN has learned that the Globe nominations will be announced Monday morning and the host search is ongoing. Two-time Oscar host Chris Rock is among those who have turned down offers to host the Jan. 7 ceremony, a source familiar with the talks told CNN, as have at least four other high-profile comedians.
A representative for Rock declined to comment.
Rock, who was also asked to host the previous Golden Globes, last attended a major awards show in 2022, when he was slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars for telling a joke referencing Jada Pinkett Smith's fight against related to alopecia. Rock is likely to be nominated in the new Best Performance in Television Stand-Up Comedy category at the upcoming ceremony for his Netflix special “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage.”
Another potential nominee for her appearance on the Netflix series “Beef,” Ali Wong, has also been approached to host the Globes, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. As Puck first reported, Wong turned down the gig, the source said.
A representative for Wong declined to comment.
Will Arnett, Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman, who co-host the podcast “SmartLess,” declined a joint offer to host the Globes, two sources with knowledge of the deal told CNN.
A representative for SmartLess declined to comment.
Had the trio said yes, it would have been the first time the Globes would have had three presenters since Louis Gossett Jr., Leslie Nielsen and Jane Seymour co-hosted the show in 1993. Much of the annual boozy dinner party's 81 ceremonies are actually over without hosts, but the Globes seem to be more talked about when they have one or two.
There's little hope that Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, who co-hosted the Globes four times to critical acclaim, would return. The two previously promised that they were done performing.
Apparently they were serious.
Check out the full list of nominees including “Argo,” “Life of Pi,” “Lincoln,” “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Django Unchained” for Best Motion Picture – Drama. CNN Entertainment will provide full coverage.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload='this.classList.remove('image__dam-img–loading')' onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height = “2106” width=”3000″ Loading=’lazy’/>“They would never do it again,” a source close to Poehler and Fey told CNN this week. “You’re done.”
A Golden Globes spokesman declined to comment, but a source familiar with the search said there were “three very serious conversations” with potential hosts.
This year, the Globes are moving to a new broadcast home at CBS. Of course, one possible outcome would be for CBS to hire one of its own stars to play the role for three hours of free advertising. NBC took this approach several times as the Globes' previous broadcast site, hiring the network's comedic talents such as Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and Andy Samberg to host the event. On ABC, network star Jimmy Kimmel will return to host the Oscars for the fourth time in March.
It's not uncommon for talent to turn down the job of hosting a major awards show, and it's certainly not unique to the Globes. For an aspiring comedian, the gig may be the opportunity of a lifetime, but for a seasoned veteran, despite all the preparation and immediate – often negative – feedback, the effort isn't worth the pressure.
“It's a thankless job,” one prominent publicist told CNN.
“It’s not worth it,” another top publicist said of hosting awards shows. “There is a lot of politics. It’s not easy and it’s not fun anymore.”
While a host for the Globes, which takes place a week away, remains in doubt, the Beverly Hilton ballroom could see appearances by likely nominees 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 be the start of a jam-packed awards season as the entertainment industry looks to bring glitz, glamor and celebration back to Hollywood after double strikes halted most productions for much of 2023.
The Golden Globes are also still working to overcome a scandal that surfaced in 2021 when the Los Angeles Times highlighted the lack of Black members within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which presents the awards, and possible ethical violations related to it The list of 87 international journalists at the time documented the outsized influence of this association.
A group of publicists called on the HFPA to make “deep and lasting changes” to its “pervasive practice of discriminatory behavior, unprofessionalism, ethical impropriety and alleged financial corruption.” They also advised their talent to boycott the event and NBC declined to air the show in 2022.
The HFPA has since been dissolved and the Golden Globes have a new owner: Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge Industries have taken over the show. The changes this time have silenced the protests, according to several Hollywood publicists who spoke to CNN and said their celebrity clients are looking forward to attending the Globes next month.
In fact, last January's ceremony on NBC (hosted by Jerrod Carmichael) had the second-worst ratings ever with 6.3 million total viewers, a 26% decline compared to the previous televised Globes . The event could probably use the help of a reputable host to improve this… if the organizers can find one.