The Golden Globes are once again going out of their way to prove they’re different from their esteemed awards-ceremony colleagues. At a time when the Oscars and Emmys are going host-free, the Globes are retreating deeply into hostville, returning to an old standby. On Tuesday the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced that none other than Ricky Gervais would host the 2020 ceremony, making it the British comedian‘s fifth time emceeing the show.
“Once again, they’ve made me an offer I can’t refuse,” Gervais said in a press release. “But this is the very last time I’m doing this, which could make for a fun evening.”
Gervais hosted the show from 2010 to 2012, returning again for a fourth time in 2016. His style is smirking and snarky, openly mocking the night’s guests and the awards show itself. “If you do win tonight, remember that no one cares about that award as much as you do,” he said in his 2016 monologue. “It’s a bit of metal that some nice old confused journalists wanted to give you in person so they could meet you and have a selfie with you.“ He also made some controversial jokes, including transphobic jokes about Caitlyn Jenner that landed him in hot water.
In 2017, Gervais said in an interview with People that he really wanted to host again. “There’s something in the news every day that makes me go, I wish I was doing the Globes tonight,” he said. Three years later, he’ll be getting his wish. However, tapping him to host again—especially when he’s doubled down on his no-holds-barred comedic style—seems almost like a troll at this point. Or like an open invitation for more controversy? Show biz, baby! Gervais has continued to release controversial material since his last Globe gig, making more Caitlyn Jenner jokes in his 2018 stand-up special, Humanity; defending Louis C.K. in an interview with Vanity Fair; and insisting there’s a separation between himself and his onstage persona. “You mustn’t confuse what I believe with what I say onstage, or how I act at the Golden Globes,” Gervais told V.F. “The reason that I can say what I want is because I’ve created a joke that I believe is bulletproof.”
In the non-Gervais years, the Globes have had duo Amy Poehler and Tina Fey host the show three times. In 2019, Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg cohosted to delightful effect. But it seems the HFPA just can’t stay away from Gervais. Next year’s Golden Globes will take place on January 5, 2020.
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