The comic made sure to address the elephant in the room during his low-key opening speech.
This year's Golden Globe Awards kicked off with host Jerrod Carmichael getting serious with a reserved, candid opening monologue that addressed the show's past controversies.
"I'll tell you why I'm here. I'm here because I'm Black," he said. "This show... did not air last year because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association -- I won't say they were a racist organization, but they didn't have one Black member until George Floyd died. Do with that information what you will."
Carmichael took a seat on the steps of the stage and reflected on how he came to the decision to host the show, and joked that he got some advice from a close friend who told him he should just "take that white people's money."
Ultimately, Carmichael said that the night isn't about celebrating HFPA or forgiving them or going over the past controversies, but it's about celebrating the creative efforts and hard work of those being honored.
In December, ET spoke with Jesse Collins, the executive producer of this year's Globes, who revealed how the 2023 ceremony will address the Hollywood Foreign Press Association controversy that led to the 2022 awards show being untelevised.
"I think in a way people will get that," Collins told ET of acknowledging last year's situation, "but we'll also celebrate that past in the sense that it is the 80th Globes. I think we will manage to do it all."
As for how the Globes hope to change in the wake of the nomination process and membership controversy, Collins said, "I think it's about acknowledging the work that's been done, [and] acknowledging that more work needs to be done."
More than anything, though, the 2023 show will be about "celebrating the people who did incredible work this year."
The 80th Golden Globe Awards will air live on NBC and Peacock starting at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jan. 10.
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