Former Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais absent to accept show's first stand-up award

Gervais has emceed the awards show five times and is now the first person to win the new category honoring stand-up comedians.

Ricky Gervais made history at the 2024 Golden Globes when he won the ceremony's first-ever award for Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television — but he wasn't even there to accept the honor.

Sunday's Globes marked the first time stand-up comedians have been honored at the awards show. The newly created category recognizes outstanding work from a comic in a traditional stand-up format, and comedy specials that aired on broadcast, basic and premium cable, streaming, and pay-per-view were considered.

Gervais won for his Netflix special Ricky Gervais: Armageddon, beating fellow nominees Trevor Noah (Trevor Noah: Where Was I), Chris Rock (Chris Rock: Selective Outrage), Amy Schumer (Amy Schumer: Emergency Contact), Sarah Silverman (Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love), and Wanda Sykes (Wanda Sykes: I'm an Entertainer).

When Gervais' win was announced, however, it was revealed that the English comedian wasn't present at the ceremony to claim his trophy.

Gervais has a long history with the Golden Globes, having hosted the show five times: in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, and 2020. His most recent hosting gig made waves due to his controversial jokes poking fun at all the biggest names in Hollywood. But the notorious comic shrugged off the shock of the audience by repeatedly saying, "I don't care." (Watch Gervais' 2020 Golden Globes monologue below.)

In addition to the new stand-up award, this year's Globes added a category for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement. Actor and comedian Jo Koy is hosting, and you can see all the winners here.

Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best in TV.

Related content:

• See top 2024 Oscars contenders for Best Picture, Actor, Actress, and more

• 2024 Oscars predictions: Who will get nominations for Best Picture and acting?

• Awards season calendar 2024: See key show dates for Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.