Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael pulled no punches in alienating Tom Cruise from the awards ceremony during Tuesday’s ceremony.
Prior to introducing two of Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick co-stars, Carmichael, 35, appeared clutching three Golden Globe awards. In 2021, Cruise returned his three awards in protest of the lack of black Golden Globe voters.
He said: ‘Backstage, I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned.’
The comedian – who began the show by poking fun at the Hollywood Foreign Press’s race issues – added: ‘I’m just the host… but I have a pitch. I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige.’ Cruise did not attend the ceremony.
Shelly, the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige has not been publicly seen since August 2007. It’s not clear if Carmichael was insinuating that Cruise might have some knowledge of Shell’s whereabouts. The actor has been a Scientologist for 30 years.
Jerrod Carmichael offered to exchange three Golden Globe awards in exchange for Shelly Miscavige
Shelly Miscavige, the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige has not been publicly seen since August 2007
In 2013, Scientology defector Leah Remini filed a missing persons report for Shelly with the Los Angeles Police Department. The department was later satisfied that the mysterious first lady of the religion was fine.
At the time, Scientology said in a statement Remini’s actions were ‘ill-advised, ludicrous self-promotion.’
Following Carmichael’s joke, Remini retweeted a Twitter thread she wrote in November 2022 in which she alleged that the LAPD was in cahoots with Scientology.
Scientology has long claimed that Shelly is not a missing person. DailyMail.com has reached out to the organization for comment on Carmichael’s joke.
The King of Queens star tweeted: ‘WHERE IS SHELLY????’ In separate message she said: ‘Thank you, Jerrod Carmichael!’
Carmichael was introducing Glen Powell and Jay Ellis when he made the gag.
The pair were about to hand out the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series and went through with their job like professionals, not acknowledging the slight against their co-star.
Carmichael made the joke prior to introducing Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick co-stars, Glen Powell and Jay Ellis
David Miscavige served as Cruise’s best man during his 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes
David Miscavige served as Cruise’s best man during his 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes.
Cruise’s three Golden Globes came for actor in a comedy or musical for Jerry Maguire, supporting actor for Magnolia and actor in a drama for Born on the Fourth of July.
SlateCulture’s Sam Adams tweeted about the Carmichael joke saying: ‘Lol Jerrod making a Shelly Miscavige joke to utter silence before introducing two actors from TOP GUN MAVERICK.’
It wasn’t the only joke that drew silence from the crowd at the Beverly Hills’ Hilton
It wasn’t the only joke that drew silence from the crowd at the Beverly Hills’ Hilton.
Carmichael opened the show by saying: ‘I am your host Jerrod Carmichael and I’ll tell you why I’m here I’m here… because I’m black.’
‘I’ll tell you what’s been going on this show, the awards, did not air last year because the Hollywood foreign press association, which I won’t say they were a racist organization.
‘But they didn’t have a single black member until George Floyd died so do with what information what you will I’ll tell you how I got here why am I here on the stage with you guys tonight well, I was at home.
‘And I got a phone call from my man Stephen Hill. Stephen Hill is a great producer and he said, “Jerrod, really I’m honored to be making this phone call he said I’m producing the 80th Golden Globes and it would be an honor if you would agree to join as the host.
‘I was like, “whoa, like one minute you’re making minute tea at home, the next you’re invited to be the black face of an embattled white organization”. Life really comes at you fast, you know so I said, “Stephen, I’m torn, I’ll be honest with you, I’m a little torn because, you know, one, it’s a great opportunity, thank you for the call but I’m only being asked to host this, I know, because I’m black.”
And Stephen said, let me stop you right there, Jerrod. He said you are being asked to host this show because you are talented, you’re being asked to host this show because you are charming he said you’re being asked to host this show because you are one of the greatest comedians of a generation but Stephen’s black, so what does he know?
Like, he’s only producing this show because — they’re not going to tell him why he’s here so I said, Stephen, this is a lot for me, let me call you so I did what I do when I have a moral, racial dilemma.
‘ I call the home girl Avery who, for the sake of this monologue, represents every black person in America. And I said to Avery, I said, Avery, they asked me to host the Golden Globes. And I said, you know, what should I do? And she said, oh, bookie, I’m so proud of you now remind me which awards show is that again?
‘And I told her what the show was, and I told her about how last year didn’t air because of the no-black people thing. And she was, like, well how much are they paying you? And I said, well, Avery, it’s not about the money honestly, it’s about the moral question of – and she said, Jerrod, enough all that, how much are they paying you? And I said $500,000.
‘And she said, boy, if you don’t put on a good suit and take some white people money… And I kind of forget that, like, where I’m from, like, we all live by a strict take-the-money mentality.
‘I bet black informants for the FBI in the ’60s, like, their families were still proud of them like they were like did you hear about Clarence’s new job they’re paying him $8 an hour just to snitch on Dr. King.
‘It’s a good government job and I called Stephen back, and “I said I’m happy to do this”. And I was really proud of that decision.
‘I was really proud of that decision, until I got an email from a publicist saying that Helen [Hoehne], the president of the HFPA, wanted to have a one-on-one sit down with me.
‘I said, “No thanks, I know when I hear a trap.” Then they came back like, “Well, they’re not really asking, they’re insisting that you take the meeting.” And I’m like, “Or what?! They’re gonna fire me?!” Then haven’t had a Black host for 79 years and they’re gonna fire first one? I’m unfire-able.”
‘And it came back again, a third time: “Helen really just wants to educate you on the changes that the organization has made in regards to diversity. And I’ll be totally honest with everyone here tonight: I don’t really need to hear it. I took this job assuming they hadn’t changed at all.
‘I heard they got six new black members, congrats for them, whatever, sure. I’m here, truly, because I look out into this room and I see a lot of talented people.
Source: dailymail
