Over the last decade or so, comedian Nikki Glaser’s star has been on the rise. She’s hosted reality TV shows like “Blind Date” and “FBoy Island,” participated in celebritiy roasts like that of Tom Brady on Netflix and acted in a few Amy Schumer movies. Most recently, she became extremely “Pope-ular” while hosting the 82nd Golden Globes — becoming the first solo woman to do so.
All of which begs the question: Wait, is Nikki Glaser Jewish?
Let’s investigate.
If you’ve been following along with our previous investigations of this nature, you know that we’re looking to check at least one of two boxes. Does Nikki Glaser identify as culturally or religiously Jewish? And/or, does Nikki Glaser have Jewish ancestry? If the answer to either of those questions is a resounding yes, she’s a member of the tribe!
Let’s begin with the latter question, because, in my opinion, the question of whether or not Nikki Glaser is Jewish usually stems from her last name. Nikki (sort of) shares her last name with notable Jews like “Broad City” Ilana Glazer and “Zone of Interest” writer and director Jonathan Glazer. The last name “Glazer” (and sometimes the names “Glaser” and “Glasser”) comes from the Yiddish word glaz meaning “glass,” and refers to someone who blew glass for their occupation.
However, per Ancestry.com, the surname “Glaser” can also be just German. According to Ethnicelebs.com, which one should always take with a grain of salt, Glaser’s heritage is indeed predominantly German. Though being German and Jewish is not mutually exclusive, in a 2023 interview with the Jerusalem Post, Glaser said, “I had my parents do a 23andMe because I truly wanted some Jewish lineage.” Though the article doesn’t confirm it, it seems that the test did not turn up any Jewish ancestry in Nikki’s family.
So, what about the second question: Does Nikki identify as culturally or religiously Jewish. Unfortunately for our purposes, the answer to that is no. “Everyone thinks I’m Jewish, so it feels like the Birthright trip that I would have never got,” Nikki told the Jerusalem Post in the same article about doing a show in Tel Aviv. She continued, however, “I’m happy to be labeled a Jewish comic – even if I’m not actually Jewish.” Rather, Nikki grew up Catholic, though it doesn’t seem that she stills practices.
If you thought Nikki was Jewish, don’t worry, she’s confused some experts on Jewishness. Apparently, Jerry Seinfeld once told Nikki that she struck him as Jewish. When she said she wasn’t, Seinfeld insisted that she had to be. So, all that to say…
Verdict: No, Nikki Glaser is not Jewish.
