Jim Gaffigan Cracks 'Pedophile' Joke During Golden Globes

Jim Gaffigan took the oxygen out of the room during while presenting an award at the Golden Globes -- and it's because he somewhat referenced Jeffrey Epstein-esque material.

The longtime standup was on hand Sunday to hand out the award for Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television -- a whole new category that the GG are starting to include ... and while acknowledging how wild that development was, JG made a jaw-dropping joke.

He was talking about how crazy it is he's even in showbiz, saying ... "I'm from a small town in Indiana, I'm not a pedophile." A handful of people laughed, but it was mostly dead silent.

Jim went on to rhetorically ask if "pedophile" was a new category there, but noted he was happy to be presenting an award for comics with big specials ... arguing it was overdue.

Eventually, he announced the winner as Ricky Gervais for his new Netflix show -- but the guy didn't show up, so Jim accepted on his behalf. The whole bit was very dry and sarcastic, in typical Jim fashion, but his crack felt like a little too soon for the ritzy crowd.

That said, some people did appear to laugh ... including Taylor Swift, who apparently found some of what Jim had to say funny, specifically toward the end his very brief set.