Tragic Details About Nikki Glaser

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The following article contains mentions of suicide, eating disorders, and alcoholism.

Say what you will about actor and comedian Nikki Glaser, but you can't say she isn't bold. She rose to prominence thanks to her recurring appearances in the "Comedy Central Roast" specials, not pulling any punches as she aims at everything from the Rob Lowe sex tape scandal that rocked the '80s to Alec Baldwin's tumultuous relationship with his daughter, Ireland. Glaser kept that energy when she hosted the 2026 Golden Globes, poking fun at Leonardo DiCaprio's messy love life and even skewering CBS, the network the show aired on, no doubt irking its latest alleged sweetheart, Donald Trump, in the process. And that's not even taking into account some of the risqué outfits she's worn in public.

With all that in mind, it's not hard to see why Glaser has garnered a reputation for being such an intrepid comic. However, she's also human at the end of the day and, as such, deals with some of the same struggles as countless others, such as depression, eating disorders, and problematic alcohol use. And, staying true to her bold reputation, she isn't afraid to talk or even joke about it — not because she wants to make anyone uncomfortable, but because she sees it as a way of taking back the power. "I think I'm just trying to be the thing that I probably need to hear, you know? And it actually works because it's like, it turns out, things I struggle with are very common things," Glaser told Inlander in 2023, adding, "And the beauty of stand-up is I present these things that I'm having a hard time liking myself about." That being said, here are some of the most tragic details about Nikki Glaser.

Nikki Glaser has spoken candidly about her various mental health struggles. This includes her history of eating disorders, which became a tragic fixture of her life for much of her adulthood. As Glaser recalled on the "LadyHD" podcast in November 2020, "I got an eating disorder when I was 18. I was hospitalized within three months. I mean, I dropped, like, 40 pounds in a couple months." The "Trainwreck" actor added that it was actually the government, not her parents, who had her institutionalized, as they were "in denial" about the whole thing. From that point on, Glaser said, she simply kept up appearances, eating just enough for the hospital to turn her loose and to prevent the people in her life from worrying.

Later, during a 2022 op-ed for The Cut, Glaser opened up about how she ultimately managed to conquer her food-related struggles. According to the comic, it was actually the pandemic in early 2020 that spurred her on to enter a treatment program, as it helped her realize that she was tired of starving herself and sustaining on a diet of mostly protein bars. Though she confessed that she still occasionally felt the urge to fall back into old habits, her progress was undeniable, as she had finally started eating three meals a day for the first time in nearly two decades. Glaser also ended up apologizing to Taylor Swift, whom she had body-shamed years before, explaining that she was merely projecting.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

Those who caught "The Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin" back in 2019 may recall the end of Nikki Glaser's set, where she made it seem like she was going to commiserate with Baldwin over the fact that he once admitted that he had considered suicide, only to pull a bait-and-switch. In reality, though, Glaser does unfortunately have quite a bit of experience in that area.

While discussing her struggles with depression, Glaser has often been incredibly open about the fact that she has dealt with suicidal ideation for much of her life. In fact, during an interview with Graham Bensinger in 2022, she confessed that the first time she considered suicide was in third grade, when one of her supposed friends told the entire class that she had wet the bed during a sleepover. The comic recalled that, at the time, she believed that if word continued to spread, she would have to take her own life.

These thoughts not only followed Glaser into adulthood but even became a major subject of her 2024 comedy special "Someday You'll Die." Regarding her reasoning for this, Glaser told Variety at the time that her goal was to help others who may be dealing with similar thoughts realize that they're not alone. "Our society has a problem. And part of the problem is we don't talk about it," she said. Not only that, but it works both ways. As she told Bensinger two years prior, "I get a ton of people writing me being like, 'Oh my God, I have that, too.' And then I don't feel so alone."

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

ADHD is a tough disorder to live with, especially among those with more severe cases, who often find it greatly disrupting their daily lives. Not only that, but women suffering from the condition are significantly more likely to have it go undiagnosed. Nikki Glaser is part of this statistic ... or, at least, she was. During her aforementioned 2020 appearance on "LadyHD" — which, as the title implies, centers on women with ADHD — the comic opened up about her own experience with the disorder, which apparently went overlooked during her childhood.

During her chat with host Jenn Welch, Glaser implied that she wasn't actually diagnosed with ADHD until she was well into adulthood. And while getting that diagnosis and being prescribed medication ended up being a huge positive for her, the process wasn't exactly simple — nor was it cheap. "It was very costly to get my diagnosis," Glaser shared, adding, "I spent $1,000 to take the two-hour test. And then ... another $1,000 to meet with my psychiatrist, this is all out of pocket. And then another $400 to get that prescription every month. These are not things — I feel guilty, because these are not things that everyone can afford." To make matters even more complicated on Glaser's end, she has a rather complicated relationship with medication as it is.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Nikki Glaser has credited going on medication with helping her to deal with her depression and suicidal ideation, as well as her ADHD. However, even the medication has come with its own mental barriers for the comedian. More specifically, Glaser has admitted that using meds to treat her mental health issues makes her feel guilty, as she sometimes can't help but view it as "cheating" in a way.

Regarding depression medication, Glaser told Graham Bensinger during their 2022 chat, "I struggle with meds because they make me feel so good that I feel like Lance Armstrong — I feel like I'm doping. ... It makes me feel like ... 'You should not be able to feel this good, and feel this, like, hopeful. It must be a lie. You must be doing something wrong.'" As she revealed during her appearance on "LadyHD," Glaser had similar hang-ups about the ADHD medication she was prescribed. "I have a lot of guilt about taking it because I feel so amazing when it kicks in ... I feel superhuman."

In both instances, however, Glaser ultimately made it clear that she knows the medication is simply making her feel how people are supposed to feel. In fact, one comment that clearly struck a chord with her was "LadyHD" host Jenn Welch equating taking the meds to putting on glasses for the first time. That said, Glaser has an understandable reason for why she doesn't trust things that make her feel better. As she told Bensinger, "The first time I drank, it was the best feeling in the world. And I was like, 'Why doesn't everyone do this all the time?' And then, it led to me drinking all the time."

In her time, Nikki Glaser has struggled with ADHD, eating disorders, depression, and suicidal ideation. However, according to the comedian herself, alcohol is by far the biggest hurdle she's faced over the course of her life. "I drank every single night of my life, and it was, like, the only thing I looked forward to in my life," Glaser said during a December 2024 interview with CBS News, adding, "For me, drinking was the worst of all of them. And it's been kind of whack-a-mole with all of those. But those have never caused me as much pain as drinking did. So, I'm glad that drinking is just not an option."

Regarding that last point, while separately speaking with Graham Bensinger in 2022, she explained that while she could potentially start having alcohol again without it turning into a problem like it did before, she sees absolutely no point in playing with fire like that. During a prior appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast in 2019, Glaser revealed that she had given up alcohol in late 2011 after an extended period of time where she would get blackout drunk every time she drank. Her breaking point, she shared, was a particularly bad hangover on a fateful December morning. "I was, like, in the shower ... in the fetal position, thinking, 'This is how it should feel if I'm dying. ... So, I'm not doing this anymore,'" Glaser said before crediting the book "The Easy Way to Stop Drinking" by Allen Carr with helping her stick to her newfound, alcohol-free lifestyle.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).