Ricky Gervais has hosted the Golden Globes a whopping five times so far, and that seems like a nice number for him to stop at. After being asked on Twitter whether he would host again the writer, comedian, and actor, has emphatically stated that a return is not on the cards anytime soon.
Gervais is known for his very blunt, dark humor, which has bred countless cringe-inducing comedies such as Extras and The Office (U.K version of course). That humor has also been directed at the very celebrities the Golden Globes is there to revere, turning the awards into more of a roast than a celebration of top-quality entertainment. Gervais has ruffled many a feather during his monologues and jokes about how the Golden Globes continue to invite him back.
The initial tweet asked that Twitter users retweet if they “wish @rickygervais would host the golden globes again in 2023” and featured a clip of Gervais in top form during his opening monologue for the 2020 Golden Globes. Gervais responded in just two words, “F**k that” followed by a crying laughing emoji, though the paradox here is that he did also retweet it…
The tweet came amidst the news that the Golden Globes will be returning in 2023 after last year’s event was not aired following a backlash against their lack of diversity. NBC released a statement that read, “We recognize the HFPA’s commitment to ongoing change and look forward to welcoming back the Golden Globes to NBC for its landmark 80th Anniversary in January 2023.”
Gervais opened up about taking on the role in the past where he discusses what he feels to receive that call from NBC asking him to return as and host. Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter back in 2020 about accepting the role once more he said “As soon as NBC called and said, ‘Do you want to do it?’ I thought, ‘Well, that’s Christmas ruined because I’ve got to work,’ ” He added, “people think that I’d go out there and I’d get drunk and say off-the-cuff. I don’t. I write jokes.”
Regarding his personal brand of “outrage humor,” the comedian spoke to the Guardian about who his audience really is at these events,
“Do I pander to the 200 billionaires in the room or the 200 million people at home sitting in their pants drinking beer who aren’t winning awards, who aren’t billionaires? It’s a no-brainer for a comedian. I’m a jester. I play to the other peasants in the mud. I wasn’t going in terrible. Think of the things I could have said… Think of the f***ing terrible things I could have joked about. It’s off the charts — It’s. Off. The. Charts — the terrible things I could say.”
Many still hold Gervais up as a symbol of free speech, whereas there are also many who would happily see the comedian get ‘canceled’. Either way, the glitterati and elite of Hollywood are safe from his finger-pointing for the foreseeable future, isn’t that nice for them?