Will Smith, Scientology butt of Golden Globes jokes

The Golden Globes were last night, and while much of the focus shines on the glitz and star power, one part that always gets attention the next morning is the jokes. And there were plenty of jokes at the Golden Globes, some more shocking than others.

While accepting his Cecil B. DeMille Award–which honors “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment” and serves as the ceremony’s lifetime achievement award–Eddie Murphy offered his own version of words of wisdom, taking the opportunity to joke about the Will Smith/Chris Rock slap at last year’s Oscars.

“I’m gonna wrap it up and just say something to all the new up-and-coming dreamers and artists that are in the room tonight,” he said. “I wanna let you know that there is a definitive blueprint that you can follow to achieve success, prosperity, longevity and peace of mind…It’s very simple, just do these three things: Pay your taxes, mind your business…and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out your f*cking mouth!”

Host Jerrod Carmichael made his own Will Smith joke, saying, “We gave Will Smith the Rock Hudson Award for best portrayal of masculinity on television.” This one wasn’t met with nearly the reaction Eddie Murphy’s was.

As host of the Golden Globes, Carmichael had a string of jokes, with the biggest hit playing off of how Tom Cruise returned his three Golden Globe statues amid the controversy over the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s lack of diversity. Emerging with mock-ups of the Golden Globes, Carmichael quipped, “Backstage, I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned. I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige,” the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige who hasn’t been seen in public in over 15 years.

The ceremony did seem a bit looser than previous years. While the ballroom at The Beverly Hilton is traditionally a more chaotic environment (at least compared to the Academy Awards), Carmichael did take several occasions to quiet the audience down and redirect their focus to the stage. There, too, were more instances of bleeped language than in many previous years, with winners letting it fly. Maybe it has something to do with the free booze at the table?

What did you think of the more edgy jokes at last night’s Golden Globes? Let us know in the comments section below.