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Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael faced major backlash for his comment about late pop legend Whitney Houston during the live telecast of the award show on Tuesday, January 10, 2023.
After a commercial break, Carmichael brought up that the producers wanted him to give a shout-out to the venue, the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and joked:
"We are here live from the hotel that killed Whitney Houston."
American icon Whitney Houston passed away at 48 after drowning in the Beverly Hilton Hotel bathtub on February 11, 2012. Her death was attributed to heart disease and drug overuse by the coroner after the fact.
Jerrod Carmichael's joke elicited gasps from the shocked audience, and netizens began slamming the comedian for his tasteless and disrespectful humor.
This was among several jokes by the first-time host that didn't land well, which included a crack about Tom Cruise and the allegedly missing Scientologist Shelly Miscavige.
"Disrespectful and tasteless": Joke about Whitney Houston at Golden Globe Awards leaves netizens furious
The Golden Globe Awards and its conductors, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) have been a hotbed of controversy in recent years, a fact that Jerrod Carmichael did not fail to address.
The 35-year-old's opening monologue addressed the HFPA's issues with diversity and brought up that he was chosen to host due to his race, stating, "I'm here because I'm Black, I'll catch everyone in the room up."
He added:
"I won't say they were a racist organization but they didn't have a single Black member until George Floyd died, do with that information what you will."
Carmichael's hosting was poorly received, and the comment about Whitney Houston seemed to be the final straw for many. Audiences took to social media to blast the Golden Globes and Carmichael.
On February 11, 2012, the 48-year-old singer was found dead in her Beverly Hilton suite after allegedly binging on drugs and alcohol for the past 48 hours. Jerrod Carmichael's reference to the 11-year-old incident during the Golden Globes came across as an insult to the legendary singer's memory for many.
Whitney Houston's biopic did not receive a Golden Globe nomination
A biopic about the singer, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, directed by Kasi Lemmons, featuring Naomi Ackie in the lead role, was released on December 23, 2022. Other cast members included Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders, Tamara Tunie, Nafessa Williams, and Clarke Peters in supporting roles.
The film was moderately well-reviewed but did not receive any Golden Globe nominations.
The penultimate scene of the biopic depicted the singer in a hotel bathtub with drugs. The suite in question was made inaccessible for years after the singer's death, due to an overwhelming number of guests expressing their demand to stay there.
As of 2017, the suit became functional once again, albeit with all previous furnishings removed, "out of respect to the family and fans of Whitney," according to Beverly Hilton.
