Ricky Gervais' Full Opening Monologue from the Golden Globes
Before he even stepped on stage to host the 2020 Golden Globes, most people were expecting Ricky Gervais to cause plenty of controversy. The host has never shied away from the kind of humor that makes people uncomfortable, and that was true of his performance at last night's ceremony as well.
In his opening monologue, Gervais took on some fairly big targets. Not only did he call out a number of major stars, but he also called out the room as a whole for its supposed liberalism.
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"You say you’re woke but the companies you work for. Apple, Amazon, Disney," he told the room. "If ISIS started a streaming service, you’d call your agent. So, if you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech. 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 then f--k off."
Gervais was clear from the very beginning of his monologue that he didn't care anymore. What's more, he made it clear that this was likely his last time hosting the ceremony. Throughout the monologue, we got plenty of shots of celebrities looking more than a little uncomfortable with his jokes.
That's not surprising, especially given some of his comments. "It was a big year for pedophile movies," Gervais said. "'Surviving R. Kelly,' 'Leaving Neverland,' 'Two Popes.'" That one didn't get huge laughs.
Gervais also took aim at actors who mostly appear in superhero movies and sequels. "Their job isn’t acting anymore, it’s going to the gym twice a day and taking steroids," the host said.
He also confused "The Irishman" star Joe Pesci with Baby Yoda, and said that the Hollywood Foreign Press, who hosts the Golden Globes, were all very, very racist. This was Gervais's fifth time hosting the show, and it may well be his last, but he's angered plenty of people with his monologue in the past.
Even celebrities who've been to jail weren't off-limits. "I came in a limo tonight and the license plate was made by Felicity Huffman,” he joked. The room was clearly shocked by that one, which came early on in his monologue. Gervais also said that he felt sorry for Huffman's daughter. "That must be the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to her, and her dad was in 'Wild Hogs.'"
Whatever you think of him, Gervais definitely knows how to stir up trouble.
