Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael stayed true to his scathing comedy as he wowed the audience at the Beverly Hilton Hotel with a Shelly Miscavige quip during Tuesday’s ceremony, poking fun at the “Top Gun” star and Scientologist Tom Cruise, who returned his three Golden Globe awards in protest in 2021.
“Backstage, I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned,” Carmichael said as he struggled to hold the three awards in his arms. “I think maybe we’ll take these three things and trade them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige,” he said between audible gasps, referring to the wife of notable Scientology leader David Miscavige.
On top of that, Carmichael made his comments before announcing the “Top Gun: Maverick” cast as hosts, yikes.
In May 2021, Cruise announced that he would return the three awards he had previously won as a result of the backlash against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization behind the Golden Globes, following a Los Angeles Times exposé that reported that there were no black members. at the HFPA.
Leah Remini, a vocal critic of the Church of Scientology who raised questions about Miscavige’s whereabouts in her A&E docuseries “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath,” took to Twitter moments after Carmichael’s joke to say: ” Where’s Shelly?”
The startling quip followed Carmichael’s surprisingly direct monologue, in which he brought up the HFPA’s tarnished reputation and controversy, saying, “I’m here because I’m black.”
“This show, the Golden Globes, didn’t air last year,” Carmichael reminded the audience. “I won’t say they were racist, but they haven’t had a single black member since George Floyd died.”
