Ricky Gervais has been asked to host the Golden Globes – again – despite legacy of transphobic jokes

Nov 12 2019
Written by Reiss Smith

Ricky Gervais will host the Golden Globes 2020. (Getty)

Ricky Gervais will host the Golden Globes for a fifth time, despite having previously used the platform to make transphobic remarks.

The British comic announced that he will retire from the Golden Globes after the 2020 ceremony, due to air on January 5.

“Once again, they’ve made me an offer I can’t refuse,” he said in a statement. “But this is the very last time I’m doing this, which could make for a fun evening.”

Paul Telegdy, chairman of NBC Entertainment, claimed that “there is always a palpable electricity in the room when Ricky takes the Globes stage,” and warned viewers of “an unexpected evening”.

Gervais’ return to the awards ceremony will come four years after his last presenting stint, during which he dead named Caitlyn Jenner and joked about her transition.

“I’m going to be nice tonight,” he said. “I’ve changed – not as much as [Caitlyn Jenner]. What a year she’s had!”

Many pointed out the double standard between Gervais’ appointment and the pressure that was put on black comedian Kevin Hart after he was announced as the 2019 host of the Oscars.

We live in a world where Kevin Hart can’t host an award show because of old tweets but there’s a whole ass video of Gervais and Louis CK dropping the hard R numerous times while getting all gitty

Lmao what https://t.co/gLip8x4jMV

— *Ludens breakdown* (@thereal_jwoww) November 12, 2019

Are white libs going to force #RickyGervais to apologize for his N-word moment, or do we only hold black comedians to unreasonable expectations? https://t.co/DhLTOB7RzK
— Quiana Fulton (@thequianafulton) November 12, 2019

Hart stepped down from the Oscars after the internet resurfaced a number of homophobic tweets and stand-up performances.

After he quit, Gervais nominated himself as a replacement host, tweeting that he “simply couldn’t give a f**k about any previous tweets”. He later deleted the tweet.

Shortly after the Hart controversy, Gervais became embroiled in a race row, after a video of him laughing at white comedian Lous CK saying the N word resurfaced.

Ricky Gervais continues to make transphobic remarks.

After the 2016 Golden Globes controversy, Gervais leaned into transphobia again in his 2018 Netflix special, Humanity.

He returned to the topic of Jenner’s gender, suggesting that her transition was comparable to him identifying as a chimp.

”She’s always identified as a woman,” he said. “That means she’s a woman. Fine, if that’s the rules. If you feel you’re a woman, you are. I’m not a bigot who thinks having all that done is science going too far.

“In fact, I don’t think it’s going far enough. ’Cause I’ve always identified as a chimp, right? Well, I am a chimp. If I say I’m a chimp, I am a chimp pre-op. But don’t ever deadname me. Don’t call me Ricky Gervais again. From now on, you call me Bob.”

This anti-trans rhetoric has, more recently, been adopted by Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan, who has repeatedly claimed to identify as a “two-spirit penguin”.

Following Gervais’ Golden Globes announcement, Morgan tweeted his support for the comic, writing: “Never have we needed this more.”