If there was an award for the 'Most Awkward Moment at the Golden Globes', Jim Gaffigan would be polishing it and placing it on his mantelpiece right now.
Last night saw the 81st Golden Globe Awards take place in Beverly Hills, California. And as expected for one of the biggest nights in entertainment, some of Hollywood's biggest stars were in attendance at the Beverly Hilton.
Of course, perhaps one of the biggest elephants in the room last night was the ongoing unsealing of the Jeffrey Epstein court documents.
Back in December, Judge Loretta Preska ruled that these documents could be unsealed, with no objections raised.
The first batch of papers were made public last week, and primarily consisted of legal arguments and interviews conducted as part of Virginia Giuffre's 2015 civil lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell, and featured interviews with alleged victims such as Johanna Sjoberg.
And one of the biggest headlines from the last week was how many A-list celebrities Epstein "name-dropped" to his victims.
READ MORE: Who Has Been Named In The Unsealed Epstein Documents And Why?
It's important to note that someone's name being mentioned in the documents does not necessarily imply wrongdoing or awareness of Epstein's actions. Some names are merely mentioned in passing during legal proceedings.
For example, in her interview, Sjoberg was questioned about if she had ever encountered certain celebrities. And although she mentioned that Epstein would name-drop stars like Cate Blanchett, Bruce Willis, and Cameron Diaz, she denied ever having any contact with them. (Cameron Diaz has since denied ever meeting Epstein and has refuted any association with him whatsoever.)
But with public interest around Epstein and his rumored associates once again in the news, it wasn't long before somebody had to make a joke about it all.
Enter Comedian Jim Gaffigan, who appeared to address the controversy surrounding the unsealed Jeffrey Epstein records while presenting an award at the 2024 Golden Globes. Check out the moment below:
Taking to the stage, 57-year-old Gaffigan said: “This is so exciting for me. The Golden Globes – I can’t even believe I’m in the entertainment industry. I can't. You know, it's so unlikely.
"I’m from a small town in Indiana. I'm not a pedophile. I don't know if that's a new category here, but..."
The gag immediately drew a few gasps throughout the audience, as laughter and applause began rippling through the venue.
Epstein - a billionaire financier - was known for associating with many celebrities, politicians, and other billionaires. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to soliciting a single underage victim in Florida and was required to register as a sex offender. He was later arrested in 2019 on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking. He died by suicide in his cell.
Of course, this isn't the first time the attendees of the Golden Globes have been hit with some dark humor. We all remember Ricky Gervais, right?
