Ricky Gervais is returning as host of the Golden Globes. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced on Twitter that the comedian will take his third turn as Globes host in January. Ricky left some wondering if he would be back after his performance at this year's show, when he made pointed jabs at Hollywood stars and the HFPA, which puts on the annual ceremony.
The 50-year-old posted a YouTube clip on his Twitter page of his biting opening monologue from the 2011 show, promising "This times 10, I'm telling you now If you don't like it...". At the ceremony earlier this year, Ricky joked that the HFPA accepts bribes (just after the group was sued for allegations that it engaged in payola schemes) and swiped at stars such as Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis and Robert Downey Jr. The HFPA acknowledged on its website that "not everyone is happy with the decision" to bring Ricky back because "his blunt one-liners targeting big-name celebrities caused anger and resentment in some quarters".
Robert Downey Jr said during the ceremony: "Aside from the fact that it's been hugely mean-spirited, with mildly sinister undertones, I'd say the vibe of the show is pretty good so far, wouldn't you?" The HFPA said after the show that the comedian "pushed the envelope and occasionally went too far".
However, many celebrities took the jibes with a pinch of salt and actually appeared to enjoy his comedy. Johnny Depp loved Ricky's compering so much that he has gone on to appear in the comedian's new mocumentary show Life's Too Short.And viewers agreed with Johnny, with nearly 17 million tuning into the NBC broadcast, which beat the network competition in that time slot.