Nikki Glaser had the week of her career. It’s not over yet

By CNN Newsource

Published May 10, 2024 11:14 AM

By Marianne Garvey, CNN

(CNN) — Comedian Nikki Glaser started the week with her memorable performance roasting Tom Brady on Netflix and will cap it off with the debut of her new standup special for HBO.

Her sharp quips about the former NFL quarterback gained her thousands of new followers on Instagram and a hilarious appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”

Glaser, however, is taking it all in stride. She’s been doing standup long enough to know the ups and downs of the entertainment industry.

“I’ve never felt like when are people gonna get it? I’m not one of those people. I always feel like I kind of am getting what I deserve. I’m not someone who’s been waiting for this my whole life,” Glaser told CNN in an interview this week. “I mean, obviously this has been the goal to be beloved on this kind of scale, but it’s also scary because when it comes on fast like this, you know, this kind of enthusiasm for someone lasts for a moment but can go away pretty quickly.”

Glaser said she knew Brady’s “Greatest Roast of All Time” would land with viewers.

“I knew it was a home run and I knew that the event would be special because it was live,” she said. “I had hoped it would be number one on Netflix and that there would be viral moments, but I didn’t think that I would be a big part of all that discussion.”

As the roast got closer, Glaser was ran her Brady jokes in up to four sets a night in Los Angeles, “jumping from club to club.”

“Working with a team of writers, we would work during the day and then we would write in between shows and treat it like I was hosting an award show,” she said. “The way I would do it if I got asked to host the Oscars, like it’s that big of a deal. So, I took it really seriously.”

Glaser also took her preparations seriously for her new special, “Someday You’ll Die.” In it, she covers substantive topics like having kids, body image and death, but promises fans both old and new will find plenty of laughs, too.

“It’s just a look at my life right now as I’m approaching 40 and all my friends are having kids and starting families, getting married. I don’t really have any of that,” she said. “[The special explores] how I suffer with depression, despite the fact that my life is great, my fear of death, my longing for it at times, [with] really hard jokes in between.”

Glaser describes her new work as “honest, raw, really tight comedy,” two years in the making.

“Someday You’ll Die” debuts May 11 on Max, which like CNN is part of Warner Bros. Discovery.