Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of disordered eating.
You don’t need to be chronically online to know Nikki Glaser’s name. In fact, all you need is a singular streaming service subscription—hell, even cable—to be aware of the moves this comedian/professional roaster/singer has been making over the past few years. Whether you were introduced to the sharp-tongued performer by Netflix’s infamous Roast of Tom Brady or the 2025 Golden Globes, where she made history as the first woman to host the show solo, you’ve likely come to know Glaser for her punching sense of humor, sleek (often sparkly) outfits, and signature long, blonde tresses.
Actually, that sweeping golden hair (and her self-described “glow up”) is the punchline of a good chunk of her jokes on the Alive and Unwell tour—Glaser’s traveling global comedy act—namely because of the significance it holds in her story. From facing adversity within the comedian circle to overcoming her battles with confidence, Glaser’s story is one of self-discovery and reinvention, and much of it started in the mirror.
“A lot of times, female comedians in this male-dominated field feel like you have to be one of the guys—dress like a guy and present really masculine—because you want to be taken seriously,” she tells Who What Wear. “So I talk about beauty standards and how I feel pressure to look a certain way. And then it kind of justifies my effort onstage, too.”
We caught up with Glaser over Zoom to discuss said beauty standards, her latest partnership with L’Oréal, and the beauty staples she uses to prep for her wall-to-wall shows, where we laughed till our sides split and admired her flashy wardrobe—her outfit now a simple set of loungewear with her long locks falling naturally, but her star quality shining all the same.
The Glaser Glow-Up
You often talk about how purposeful your glow-up was. From someone who did it seamlessly to someone who’s still trying, what’s the secret?
I’ve learned so much from being on camera and working with hair and makeup people. Anything that I’ve ever been good at in my life is because I’ve asked for help and because I’ve done the reps.
I look back on pictures of me on stage when I first got into comedy, and think, “What was I doing with my makeup and my hair?” and, yeah, styles have changed, but even then I was so clueless about what to do. I didn’t even give much thought to it—comedy always was about the jokes. You’re just supposed to worry about being as funny as possible.
You’re standing there with a microphone, you’re not dancing, you don’t have choreography, you don’t have screens. I remember being on stage early on in my career and looking in the front row and seeing girls’ eyes scanning me up and down, and not even in a way that was judgmental. It was just like, “Let’s give them something to look at,” you know?
So I made a decision to not shy away from being feminine… And as soon as I let that go and was like, “I want to be a pretty girl”—my dream always was to be a pop star; I’ve always admired beauty, and the beauty industry, and celebrities—I just committed hard.
Sometimes, comedians trash me for it ’cause they’re like, “Okay, you’re not a model, like, focus on what’s important,” but you’re usually shitting on something if you’re jealous or threatened by it. And so when people feel like, “I don’t know how to do a cat eye,” or “I don’t know how to blow-dry my hair that way,” they just choose to make fun of it and go, “That’s why I don’t do it”—because it’s “lame” to commit to that. And then my material shifted with that, to defend it, in a way.
Blonde Haircare
Let’s chat hair. What are your blonde hair tips, and what do you rely on to keep those golden locks shining on tour?
I mean, you know, getting my highlights done every 4 to 14 weeks—depending on if I can make that grown-out root look cool, you know? Hair is just so important to me because I had an eating disorder early on in my life. I lost a lot of hair during it, which caused me, like, a lot of trauma. And so I’m always taking really good care of my hair. I’m very gentle with my hair.
That’s why I’m obsessed with the new L’Oréal Airlight Pro, because you’re doing so much heat damage when you’re blow-drying your hair—it just feels drier afterward. This is the first time where I’ve felt like, “Oh, I might be doing something better for my hair while drying it, as opposed to air-drying it.”
L’Oréal Professionnel
Airlight Pro Hair Dryer
It’s just a professional tool that makes you feel like, “This is the kind of hair dryer that I only would have come into contact with when I would have professionals doing my hair.” And now I have it in my own personal collection.
It gives me so much more confidence going on stage doing a blowout with this tool. A spray tan, a blowout, and fake eyelashes… When I walk on stage with those, my show’s better. I just walk out with so much more confidence.
I base everything off of compliments, and those are the three things that, when I get them done, I’m like, “Oh, everyone thinks things are going better in my life.” People think I got my meds balanced. People think I’ve patched things up with my sister. Just, like, what’s going on with you? They can’t really pinpoint it. And those are the keys, girls.
Recession Blonde
I need your take on the “recession blonde”—aka people letting their natural color grow in and fade into their blonde (because salon visits are way too expensive nowadays).
You know, I recently got my color analysis done. My girls’ chat was blowing up about all the color analysis TikToks they were seeing, and I didn’t believe it because I was like, “No, that girl just put a filter on.” But then I had a girl come and do it for me, and I really am a soft summer!
I have been shifting my hair color to that. I’m going with an ashier blonde now. It sucks because I always liked the bronze—Jennifer Aniston golden-blonde—but it just isn’t my skin tone. So, really, this recession growout has really benefited me.
I used to have a joke in my act about how you can tell how broke I am by my roots. It used to be like, “Oh, it’s three inches. She’s six months broke.” And I remember my mom one time saying, “You need to get your roots done,” and I was like, “Well, I have this joke that, like, really works when I have really noticeable roots,” and she says, “It’s not funny enough to keep those roots.”
Also, I think women are just trying to spend less time; it’s not just money. You can be in a salon for three or four hours. I’m trying to cut down on the time. This is definitely something that applies to all women right now. Your natural hair color looks great—it’s like you come out kind of the way that you should be.
On-Tour Beauty Staples
Speaking of your tour, what are some other beauty essentials that you absolutely needed to bring with you? A go-to self-tanner, a lucky nail polish shade that screams Alive and Unwell?
The Hers Minoxidil. I’m looking for anything that’ll make my hair stronger. I’ve always done Nutrafol, and I’ve been on that forever. That’s always been a crucial part of my haircare, but this minoxidil stuff—my boyfriend was always talking about minoxidil, and I was always like, “That’s a man thing”—but my hair’s growing everywhere. I found that my eyelashes are super long. I don’t have to use serum anymore, which was causing me floaters and dry eye.
I didn’t have any of the shedding that they warned me about, because I was really panicked about that. I take it once a day, and I can feel the new growth in my roots. It’s been three or four months of it, and my eyelashes have never been longer.
Hers
Topical 5% Minoxidil Foam
Hers
Oral Minoxidil for Hair Loss for Women
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