The Sydney Sweeney Joke That Was Too Harsh For The Golden Globes Just Leaked

Nikki Glaser’s Golden Globes roast was supposed to be pure chaos, but one leaked Sydney Sweeney joke reportedly went way too far, and the backlash came fast. The clip turned into instant ammo, because it wasn’t just poking fun at a celebrity. It was aiming at a film’s failure, and the subject matter behind it.

Glaser’s scrapped line reportedly took direct aim at the commercial flop of Sweeney’s Christy, which landed with a reported $1.3 million opening.

And once that punchline hit timelines, people were furious for the exact reason you’d expect.

Christy trailer

That’s when the conversation pivoted from “roast humor” to “why are we making domestic violence a wardrobe joke?” after Glaser’s Sweeney line resurfaced online.

The film's commercial failure was historic in the worst way possible. It reportedly opened to just $1.3 million (£989,814), marking it as one of the worst cinematic openings ever recorded for a queer film.

Nikki Glaser shared which Sydney Sweeney joke she ended up leaving out of her Golden Globes roast

Kevork Djansezian/CBS via Getty Images

The timing made it worse, since Christy’s reported $1.3 million opening was already being called one of the worst queer film debuts ever.

It’s a grim parallel to US travelers getting trapped after El Mencho’s death.

Glaser's scrapped joke took direct aim at this box office disaster. You know, people just aren't going to the theatres to see things. If you don't believe me, there was a movie this year where Sydney Sweeney played a lesbian who just bounced around in tiny shorts for two hours, and it made $14."

The punchline reduces a film about domestic violence and LGBTQ+ representation to nothing more than Sweeney's physical appearance and wardrobe choices.

The joke revolved around the box-office failure of Sweeney's Christy movie

Black Bear Pictures

Then the quotes started stacking up, with X users roasting the roast, including one who basically dared to see whether Sydney Sweeney would respond.

And by the time critics pointed out the film is about attempted murder and LGBTQ+ representation, the “tiny shorts” punchline looked even crueler.

Once the joke leaked online, reactions came swiftly. After catching light of the quip, fans rushed to social media to share their thoughts as one X user penned: "Ouch, that's a pretty brutal joke! I wonder if Sydney Sweeney has responded to it yet."

"This one didn't quite land. There are many things about Sydney Sweeney that make good material for award jokes, but this one doesn't cut it," slammed a second.

And a third chimed in: "Regardless of what you feel about Sydney Sweeney, relegating a movie about domestic violence to a movie about a 'lesbian bouncing around in tiny shorts' is just terrible."

The criticism highlights a recurring problem with roast humor; sometimes the desire for a big laugh leads comedians to trivialize serious topics.

Christy Martin's story involves surviving attempted murder by someone she trusted. Reducing that narrative to a joke about Sweeney's appearance misses the point entirely and dismisses the subject matter the film attempted to address.

Comedy at awards shows has always courted controversy, but there's a difference between roasting someone's career choices and making light of domestic violence for a punchline.

Glaser's deleted joke crossed that line for many viewers, even if it never actually aired. The fact that it got cut suggests someone involved recognized the problem before broadcast, but its leak afterward guaranteed the backlash would happen anyway.

Roasting celebrities is expected, but maybe some subjects deserve to stay off limits regardless of who's being targeted

Nobody wants a domestic violence story turned into a joke about what someone wore.

For more on the GLP-1 vs food fight, read the dietitian’s three categories to avoid.