Indie Spirits 2017: Nick Kroll & John Mulaney's Hilarious Opening Monologue, In Memoriam Parody & Acceptance Speeches

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If the Golden Globes have always been the looser, cooler brother to the Oscars, the Indie Spirits are the unpredictable, wilder cousin. This afternoon, the warmup to the big show tomorrow unfolded, and not only was it finished in just over two hours, it was actually kind of fun.

 Nick Kroll and John Mulaney delivered an opening monologue that was politically sharp and hilarious, and poked fun at the nominees too. But it was the shots at the White House that landed hardest.

READ MORE: ‘Moonlight’ Wins Big At The 2017 Independent Spirit Awards

“We like to think of ourselves as the awards show without Mel Gibson,” Kroll said. “People wondered how long would it take Hollywood to forgive someone for anti-Semitic racist hate speech. The answer? Eight years!”

“So look out for the 2024 Oscars, when the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award goes to Steve Bannon,” quipped Mulaney.

And they weren’t done with Steve Bannon yet. “In this country, if you’re that sexy, you can get anything you want. Steve Bannon is so hot. He looks like Nick Offerman drowned,” Kroll said.

READ MORE: Predicting The 2017 Independent Spirit Awards Winners Because Why Not?

Meanwhile, Andy Samberg took the stage midway through the show for the Not In Memoriam section where, dressed as Eddie Vedder, he sang a parody of “Alive” until….Fred Armisen died. RIP.

The stars held up their end of the bargain, too, with a slate of terrific and often politically charged speeches. And you know it’s only going to get even more fiery tomorrow night. Check out all the video highlights from the Indie Spirits below.