Nikki Glaser, the comedian known for her sharp wit and observational humor, recently hosted the 2025 Golden Globes. As she prepped for the show, she shared insights into her health journey, revealing past struggles with eating disorders and her perspective on weight loss trends.
Preparing for the Golden Globes
Glaser took her hosting duties seriously, using two writer's rooms and doing 91 test runs to perfect her monologue. She even postponed a cosmetic surgery to host the awards show. "So, for January 2025, I was going to possibly have, like, a brow lift or some kind of really invasive surgery that I've been, you know, looking into getting,” she said on CBS Sunday Morning. But Nikki said she got a call from two of her agents, asking her to push back the procedure to later in the month so she could host the awards show. “They're like, 'So, this operation, is there any way you could push it 'til maybe the second week of January?'" she quipped.
Vocal Cord Surgery
Hosting the Golden Globes wasn't the first time Glaser has prioritized her career over health concerns. Back in 2022, she postponed tour dates for vocal cord surgery. “Basically, my voice is fried and I’m having it repaired,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “I’m so excited about this. It’s not going to be painful and it’s going to change my life. The only bummer is that recovery from this operation means I won’t be able to speak for 3-5 weeks. Not a word.” Before her surgery, Nikki joked to Esquire that she “cannot wait to not talk. The world deserves a break from my voice, frankly.”
Overcoming Eating Disorders
Nikki Glaser has been open about her long battle with eating disorders. In 2022, she wrote an emotional essay for The Cut, detailing her nearly two-decade struggle. She developed anorexia as a senior in high school, going days without eating. "They were, like, 'You look great. You look like you've lost weight.' It felt like getting an A on a test I didn't study for. It was the best feeling," she wrote. "I quickly became addicted to the results and positive feedback."
She was hospitalized for anorexia before college but later struggled with bingeing and bulimia in her 20s. She "would starve all day, wait to eat until nightfall and then eat all night long. I obsessed about calories and worked out incessantly." This led to stress fractures and broken bones. “Then I wouldn't be able to work out, so I would go back to starving myself,” she wrote.
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Glaser eventually joined a 12-step program and started eating three meals a day. "I used to get really high off the feeling of hunger, and I do a lot of work to combat that now," she said. "There are days where I really struggle with gaining a couple pounds or my jeans fitting too tight. But I try to keep in mind the best thing I've learned: When you stop fighting it, when you stop trying to control it, your body will just be what it needs to be."
Glaser reflected on the origins of her eating disorder, recalling her first memory of rejecting food in fifth grade. "My mom made brownies, and I remember them being on the stove and my being, like, “I can’t.” I thought that was just what women said. It came from TV and movies, where you see women feeling ashamed about eating and sitting on the couch with ice cream when they’re sad." She noted that her mom was always on a diet, which influenced her perception of food and body image.
In high school, Glaser's dieting escalated. "The first time a boy showed interest in me, I got so nervous and excited about hanging out that one day I just didn’t eat. The next day at school, people noticed it. They were, like, “You look great. You look like you’ve lost weight.” It felt like getting an A on a test I didn’t study for. It was the best feeling." This positive reinforcement fueled her anorexia. "Within a month, I was super-thin and super-popular. And then, a month after that, my hair was falling out and I had dry skin and mouth sores from malnutrition. I slept all day because I was hungry and just didn’t want to be alive for it. I fainted here and there."
After being hospitalized, she started eating again but developed a cycle of bingeing and bulimia. "I was getting mouth acne from throwing up and always had sores that I would pick at, because eating disorders also cause you to have OCD. There was so much shame around it." In her late 20s, she stopped throwing up but continued to binge. "I would starve all day, wait to eat until nightfall and then eat all night long. I obsessed about calories and worked out incessantly."
The intermittent fasting trend in her early 30s provided a cover for her restrictive eating habits. "My whole diet consisted of protein bars that I’d eat throughout the night - like, 12 to 17 protein bars. I had no control and then I would hate myself the next day. It was a cycle I couldn’t break." The shame and secrecy surrounding her eating disorder took a toll.
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During the pandemic, Glaser moved back in with her parents and realized she needed help. "I couldn’t be alone because if I was alone, I would just binge. Home, to me, was where you get to binge and sleep." By the end of March 2020, she was in recovery, participating in a 12-step program. "In April, I was able to stop starving myself. Since then, I have maintained my weight and haven’t felt out of control."
Glaser established rules for herself to maintain her recovery. "I eat three meals a day, at least, no matter what. Anytime I’m hungry, I have to eat. I used to get really high off the feeling of hunger, and I do a lot of work to combat that now. There are days where I really struggle with gaining a couple pounds or my jeans’ fitting too tight. But I try to keep in mind the best thing I’ve learned: When you stop fighting it, when you stop trying to control it, your body will just be what it needs to be. It will find a balance."
She recognizes that her perspective has evolved. "Two years ago, I also would have claimed that my life was great. Now I look and see that I was just constantly white-knuckling it. All I thought about was food: when I was gonna eat, when I wasn’t gonna eat, how I’d work it off."
Comedy and Body Image
Glaser's comedy has become more honest and personal. "Stand-up used to feel similar to dieting for me because the rewards are blissful but it’s incredibly punitive along the way. My goals with stand-up are different now; I don’t get that high from laughter anymore. It isn’t about Wow, you like me! so much as I hope you enjoy yourself, but if you don’t, I won’t take it personally. I hope my comedy makes you laugh and think about stuff in a different way while also feeling less alone."
She is now comfortable being open about her life, including her eating habits. "Finally, I can do a reality show because I’m in a place where people can come look at my closets and my bedroom and my purse and see me eat."
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Glaser is critical of Hollywood's superficiality regarding body image. "In the business I work in, size does matter. Hollywood is disgusting when it comes to acting, pretending like they’re accepting of any body size when really they’re not. I would like to have the freedom to get any size I want and still have a career, but I don’t believe I do. We still reward women for losing weight." She avoids reading comments about herself to protect her mental health. "Learning to be nice to myself is a lot more than just, like, positive affirmations in the mirror."
Thoughts on Ozempic and Weight Loss
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Glaser shared her thoughts on Ozempic, a medication used for weight loss. “I love it! I’m like, ‘Do it,’” she said. “I have no judgment. “I want people to feel more comfortable talking about doing it, because I feel like there's this shame,” she continued. “The shame is only from thin people who want you to stay fat. That's really where it's coming from. They're so mad that you're getting thin now, because that's all they have, right? You’re dynamic, you have a good personality, and they're so mad.”
She also commented on the trend of cosmetic procedures. “I think it's a wise investment,” she explained. “There's a stigma around getting face work or investing in your beauty and doing all these procedures. And there is maybe a little bit of a sadness to it, but I kind of also am like, ‘Well, it makes my life better.’” She added, “People treat you better when you're hotter. It's a sad fact of life. And everyone goes, ‘That's so sad. Why don't you love the way you were born?’ And it's like, ‘Well, why did you go to college? Why don't you love the brain you were born with?"
Celebrities and Weight Loss Medications
Glaser's comments come amid a broader discussion about celebrities using medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro for weight loss. Several celebrities have spoken out about their experiences, both positive and negative.
Jonathan Van Ness said, “As I've lost weight and I got into [Pilates classes at] Solidcore, my body has never looked like this,” Jonathan said. “My body's never in my whole life-I've always wanted to have an ab. I've never had abs. "I'm all about body neutrality,” they continued. “The way that you look does not define your worth, doesn't define your lovableness.
Rosie O'Donnell has been using Mounjaro since late 2022 and has shared her positive results on Instagram. Meghan Trainor and her husband, Daryl Sabara, both use Mounjaro. Kendra Wilkinson tried weight loss shots but stopped due to concerns about potential health risks.
Other celebrities have had negative experiences with these medications. Bonnie Chapman experienced nausea while taking Ozempic. Lea Michele had a seizure due to dehydration caused by Ozempic. Brooke Burke said, “I have a daily battle with myself not to go on Ozempic.” Jade Thirwall tried Ozempic but it didn't work for her, so she switched to Mounjaro. Raven-Symoné emphasized that these medications are made for specific people and should be reserved for those who need them.
Some celebrities have denied using Ozempic, while others have admitted to it. Jennifer Aydin admitted to using Mounjaro. Chelsea Handler said she didn't know she was on Ozempic after accidentally injecting herself with it. Khloe Kardashian denied using Ozempic and credited her physique to hard work and exercise. Dr. Drew Pinsky noted that people have mixed feelings about interventions like Ozempic.