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Ricky Gervais’ Golden Globes opening monologue takes aim at Hollywood elite — reactions mixed

Ricky Gervais at the 2020 Golden Globes
Ricky Gervais held nothing back during his Golden Globes monologue. Pic credit: NBC

Ricky Gervais took the stage for the 77th Golden Globe Awards on Sunday night to announce that this will be his fifth and final time hosting the show —  and that he just “doesn’t care anymore.”

Then, the English comedian proved just that with an eight-minute monologue that took aim at several controversial Hollywood figures.

“You’ll be pleased to know this is the last time I’m hosting these awards so I don’t care anymore,” Ricky told a laughing audience. “I’m joking. I never did.”

Gervais pointed out that Kevin Hart was fired from hosting the Oscars over some offensive tweets. Then, after taking a shot at Felicity Huffman, Ricky Gervais turned his attention to the Hollywood legends in attendance including Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro and… Baby Yoda?

Pointing out some of the “most important TV and film executives in the world”, they all had one one thing in common.

“They’re all terrified of Ronan Farrow,” Gervais joked, referencing the journalist — and son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen — who helped expose the Harvey Weinstein scandal. “He’s coming for you!”

Then, Gervais explained that he nixed the in memoriam this year because “it wasn’t diverse enough. No… it was mostly white people and I thought ‘Nah, not on my watch.'”

Ricky Gervais also took a few jabs at how boring awards shows are in general and even told the audience that it was more entertaining to watch Netflix’s Afterlife.

“That’s a show about a man who wants to kill himself because his wife dies of cancer and it’s still more fun than this,” Ricky joked. “Spoiler alert — Season 2 is on the way so in the end he obviously didn’t kill himself, just like Jeffrey Epstein. Shut up! I know he’s your friend but I don’t care!”

Those watching Ricky Gervais deliver his 2020 Golden Globes monologue were shocked by some of the things he had to say and Twitter lit up as many viewers reacted.

Most notably, many commented on Gervais’ final commentary on the “wokeness” of the Hollywood elite, calling them out over the hypocrisy of working for major media companies that are the absolute opposite of what they claim to stand for.

“You say you’re woke but the companies you work for… I mean, unbelievable,” Gervais quipped. “Apple, Amazon, Disney… If ISIS started a streaming service, you’d call your agent wouldn’t ya?”

“So if you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech,” the Golden Globes host ranted. “You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg.”

“So, if you win, come up, accept your little award. Thank your agent and your God and f**k off!”

And with that, Twitter lit up. Many praised him for taking aim at Hollywood in a speech literally given right in front of them.

While others called Gervais the hypocrite for, essentially, delivering his own political speech while also telling others not to.

In the end, as Ricky Gervais pointed out, this is his fifth and final time hosting the Golden Globes and he just “doesn’t care.”

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