On with Kara Swisher Nikki Glaser on Shame, Sex & Owning Who You Are
73 snips
Apr 20, 2026 
Nikki Glaser, a stand-up comic and Golden Globes emcee known for fearless, self-roasting humor, gets real about sex, shame, beauty, fame, and aging. She talks about why women are judged for spending on appearance, why sexual material still hits, why politics can poison comedy, and what it feels like to break through in her 40s.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
The Moment She Finally Saw Her Parents' Discomfort
- Glaser’s parents supported her dirty comedy for years without asking her to stop, even when it embarrassed them.
- Mid-set, seeing her dad’s bald head while describing oral sex suddenly made her realize his discomfort and apologize onstage.
Honesty Matters More Than Confidence Theater
- Glaser says she is “secure in her insecurities” and uses radical honesty to test whether people actually like the real her.
- Praise for polished work feels unreal to her; admitting low self-esteem feels more truthful than pretending confidence.
Roasts Reward Precision And Permission To Be Mean
- Glaser loves roast comedy because it is precision joke writing inside a rare zone where brutal honesty is invited.
- She treats it like finding loopholes in agreed boundaries, aiming for angles nobody else found without breaking the host’s rules.
