The Golden Globes have been slammed following a joke made in reference to serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, with some calling it "gross" and "inappropriate".
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story dropped onto Netflix in September 2022 to critical acclaim, so much so that lead actor Evan Peters won best actor in a limited series or TV movie at the Golden Globes last night for his portrayal of the murderer.
The series centers around Dahmer and tells the story of one of the most prolific killers in US history, with a large portion of the narrative coming from the perspective of his victims.
As per Biography.com, Dahmer operated between 1978 and 1991 when he took the lives of 17 men. He would find his victims - mainly African American men - in public spaces such as gay clubs and shopping malls, before luring them back to his home with the promise of sexual relations or money for taking photos of them.
When the victims arrived at his home, Dahmer would give them a drink laced with drugs, leaving them unable to fight him off as he strangled them to death before engaging in sexual activity with the corpses. He would then dismember the bodies - often keeping trophies such as their skulls or genitals - and dispose of them.
True crime biopics that follow the events of horrific killings such as Dahmer's often do well due to the intrigue behind how somebody is capable of something so heinous - but what doesn't go down well is making light of the crimes that cost 17 people their lives.
Nicole Byer and Ana Gasteyer came under fire from viewers after they took to the stage at last night's Golden Globe awards, where they poked fun at Dahmer, particularly his glasses.
They stated that Dahmer was "not a nice guy" but that he "nailed it on eyewear... setting a trend for years to come." Gasteyer then pulled out a pair of glasses similar to the serial killer's and wore them while presenting the award.
The camera panned around the room where Hollywood stars such as Richard Jenkins appeared uncomfortable about the remarks that had just been made.
People also flocked to social media to express their distaste at the jokes, with one person stating: "Jeffrey Dahmer jokes are not funny, especially to his victims' families."
Another person said: "The golden globes should be ashamed for letting all of those people make jokes about Dahmer, he was a murderer, and the families of his victims are still alive, imagine how they feel when they see stuff like that. It's just so distasteful and cruel in my opinion."
Other users added: "These Dahmer jokes are actually so tasteless and [I don't know] how and why they aren’t stopping?", with some calling the jokes "gross" and "inappropriate."
While there can be a time and a place for dark humor, viewers were horrified by the presenters' poor taste and lack of regard for those that were brutally murdered and their surviving family members.