Whitney Houston called out Jerrod Carmichael for his Golden Globe joke about the artist and the hotel in which she died.
On Wednesday, the late artist’s estate, run by her family members, said the joke was in poor taste and it was “disappointed.” Carmichael hosted the prestigious event, now in its 80th year.
In the opening of the show, which was televised and also streamed live on Tuesday night, Carmichael made a joke about the late singer’s death in 2012. The singer had died of an accidental overdose in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton hotel, the same location where the Golden Globe was hosted at.
“So, we are here, live, from the hotel that killed Whitney Houston, the Beverly Hilton,” Carmichael said to a stunned audience at the event.
Many fans on social media reacted to the joke, with some calling out Carmichael and some even warning that comedians and their jokes need to be vetted, especially since the Will Smith and Chris Rock incident.
According to TMZ, Whitney’s former manager and sister-in-law Pat Houston condemned Carmichael’s joke.
“The Whitney Houston Estate is disappointed in the joke and felt it was in poor taste.”
Carmichael’s joke elicited mixed reactions, with some criticizing the comedian while others called for him to apologize.
“I really don’t think Jerrod Carmichael is gonna make many fans out here making jokes about Whitney Houston on this platform. There is nothing funny about it. Some things just aren’t meant to be made light of. #GoldenGlobes,” one fan wrote.
“I don’t think it was a joke. It was him calling out the fact that she was murdered,” another said.
“So I guess I’m the only one that cared about that tasteless Whitney Houston line that Jerrod Carmichael said. I see ppl praising that he cracked on Tom Cruise but with Whitney Houston nobody cares #GoldenGlobes,” another said.
“Way out of his league, and a C- comedian at best, and I am being generous! Disrespectful, not funny or charming. Jerrod Carmichael was overpaid by $480K. Terrible choice in a Host, bring back Ricky Gervais,” another person said.
#GoldenGlobes host Jerrod Carmichael makes a dig at Scientology: "Backstage, I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned…I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige." https://t.co/m069JEKekW pic.twitter.com/fw25ng5nU2
— Variety (@Variety) January 11, 2023
Some also praised Carmichael for calling out the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for not using a black host until after George Floyd was killed.
“I’m here because I’m black,” he said to the audience. “This show, the Golden Globe Awards, did not air last year because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — which I won’t say they were a racist organization.”
He added that the HFPA didn’t have black members prior to George Floyd’s death.
