The comedian breaks down roasting celebrities, viral fame, and the SNL sketch that turned her anxiety into comedy gold.
Okay, the time has finally come for Miss Nikki Glaser — and the iconic Spirit Tunnel Anxiety sketch she birthed on the SNL stage when she served as host.
For Nikki, the Spirit Tunnel wasn’t just a funny idea — it was a genuine fear. She reveals that it was actually the first and easiest sketch she pitched when SNL asked if she had ideas. She walked in saying, “I have a lot of anxiety about the Jennifer Hudson Spirit Tunnel.” And from that fear, comedy was born.
Originally, Nikki imagined the sketch as a pharmaceutical commercial, the kind that asks, “Are you not enjoying the things you once loved?” The pill in her version was supposed to give you courage — until she realized the funnier version was a pill that made you sick enough to cancel, which she calls her “dream scenario” for anything she doesn’t want to do.
She admits the fear came from experience. After being the first voted off Dancing With the Stars, she’d already lived through public humiliation on TV. So the idea of walking through a tunnel of cheering strangers? Terrifying. Even after doing the sketch, she woke up the morning of this interview searching her medicine cabinet for “Hudson.”
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When she finally walked the real Spirit Tunnel on Sherri, she says all her plans went out the window — the joy hits you, overwhelms you, and you just react. She even threw in a little Simon Cowell moment, because of course she did.
Nikki explains why the Spirit Tunnel resonates: it forces celebrities to be themselves, not characters. It’s awkward, vulnerable, and real — and that’s why people love it. “It’s a character study,” she says. “We see a side of celebrities we crave.”
She also reflects on the surreal moment of hosting Saturday Night Live for the first time — something she never thought she’d achieve. She grew up watching the show, fangirled over the cast, and now can’t wait to go back with even more confidence and ideas.
Then there’s the Golden Globes. Nikki breaks down the delicate art of roasting A‑listers who didn’t ask to be roasted. She shares how she crafted jokes — like calling Sean Penn a “sexy leather handbag” — only after confirming he wasn’t vain and wouldn’t care. Her rule: roast from love, or don’t roast at all.
Nikki’s honesty, self‑awareness, and razor‑sharp timing make this breakdown irresistible. She’s chaotic, thoughtful, fearless, and deeply funny — the exact combination that turned the Spirit Tunnel sketch into viral gold.
Dig out Nikki confronting her fears, her fame, and her funniest anxieties right below.
