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Ricky Gervais and Key Golden Globes Players Sound Off on Controversial Choice to Bring Him Back as Host

Nov 17, 2011  •  Post A Comment

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association made the official announcement today that Ricky Gervais will be back to host the Golden Globes Awards ceremony, and Gervais took the opportunity to offer a gentle poke at the idea of returning to the event that stirred up a storm of criticism early this year.

"They must be mad,” Gervais says in today’s HFPA announcement. “Not sure if I’m flattered that they trust me or insulted that they trust me. Either way … they shouldn’t trust me.”

Gervais’ performance as host of the Jan. 16, 2011, ceremony, in which he fired off a few vicious jokes at the expense of various Hollywood figures (as TVWeek reported at the time), drew fire from many observers and gave most the impression that Gervais would never be invited back. However, the performance also earned unprecedented headlines for the awards and the organization, and ultimately that factor appears to have earned Gervais an encore, as we reported yesterday.

Gervais will host the ceremony live on NBC on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT), from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. It’s the 69th annual awards, and will be Gervais’ third stint as host.

The key players sounded cautiously optimistic about bringing Gervais back. Said Paul Telegdy, president, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC: “We are extremely pleased to be working with Ricky Gervais again as he brings his notorious wit to Hollywood’s biggest party of the year. He seems to get better each year as host of the Globes, and he adds an unpredictable element to the ceremonies that keeps everyone on their toes."

The broadcast is produced by dick clark productions, whose president, Orly Adelson, said of Gervais: “His unique point of view and his mischievous streak are a perfect match to the irreverent nature of the show.”

The announcement was made by Aida Takla-O’Reilly, president of the HFPA, who added: "It’s our pleasure to welcome Ricky Gervais back and we hope everyone watching will have as much fun as we will."

2 Comments

  1. The thing is that most of the public found him funny, it was only the Hollywood celebs he targeted that had a problem with him, and I suspect most people feel that the celebs involved should perhaps get a little thicker skin to be able to take some ribbing along with their eight figure salaries.

  2. I agree with you Bill, and I for one will be watching The Golden Globes on January 15th, for only the second time in my life!

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