‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ Fans Weigh in on Nikki Glaser’s Emotional Slip-Up

The second episode of ABC’s latest iteration of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? aired Wednesday night, and it had game show fans talking on social media. Tonight’s guests featured SNL alum Will Forte, who ended five questions away from the million-dollar prize. After Forte’s run, comedian Nikki Glaser took the spotlight for a very eventful session in the hot seat.

In years past, the game show’s hosts have included Meredith Viera, Terry Crews, Chris Harrison and of course Regis Philbin. Now, Jimmy Kimmel has taken on the role, which he said he was more than enthusiastic about. “I was on board for it right away. I love the original show — obviously, a lot of people did. I got to be a contestant on the original show, and I like game shows in general. I started as a game show host, on a show called Win Ben Stein’s Money. I think that a great game show is rare.”

Though Forte played well, it was a fairly standard round. Glaser, however, had only gotten to the $16,000 question when she accidentally blurted out the wrong response and even tacked on the words “final answer.” While the judges eventually decided in Glaser’s favor, it was a call that wasn’t looked favorably upon by the audience based on the tweets that followed.

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The question was about which 2019 release was shot to look like one continuous take. Glaser had whittled the choices down to Robert Egger’s The Lighthouse and Sam Mendes’ 1917.

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After a lengthy back-and-forth with Dr. Drew, Glaser’s in-studio lifeline, it was clear she was going to guess 1917. However, she blurted out “The Lighthouse,” and almost instinctively declared that to be her final answer. 

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Not knowing exactly what to do, but clearly amused by the ordeal Kimmel cut to a commercial. Afterward, Glaser recanted the sequence of events and even ended up tearing up, given she was playing to raise money for a rescue service for birds. While also mentioning that she was the first person eliminated on her season of Dancing with the Stars.

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Kimmel turned to the show’s judges, who ruled in Glaser’s favor. Reinvigorated, she worked her way up the list, making it all the way to the $64,000 question. 

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Before she got any further along, the show ran out of time, promising Glaser would return next week. Though she’ll have to be more careful in the future, as Kimmel made it clear it was unlikely they’d make another exception for her. 

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Along with Glaser, next week’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire? will also feature Jane Fonda and Anthony Anderson. You can catch it when it airs next Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.