Ricky Gervais to return as Golden Globes host for fifth and 'very last time' (he swears!)
Ricky Gervais is back as host for the Golden Globes for a fifth time.
The unpredictable, often-outrageous and entirely uncontrollable British comedian, 58, will take the podium at the three-hour NBC awards telecast Jan. 5, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Tuesday.
Gervais hosted the Globes for three successive years from 2010-12 and returned for a fourth time in 2016, often lampooning the organization running the show from the stage.
"Once again, they've made me an offer I can’t refuse," Gervais said in an HFPA release Tuesday. "But this is the very last time I’m doing this, which could make for a fun evening."
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"When Ricky Gervais is at the helm of the Golden Globes Awards, we can always expect the unexpected,” said HFPA president Lorenzo Soria.
During the 2016 Golden Globes, Gervais cracked this joke:
"One Hollywood publication said that me hosting would mean that some stars would stay away, for fear of being made fun of. As if film stars would stay away from the chance of winning a Golden Globe. Particularly if their film company has already paid for it."
Last year, Sandra Oh and Adam Samberg shared Golden Globe hosting duties.
While most media has been positive about the news, there was some backlash The MarySue decried the decision to bring "the smug, hacky corpse of Ricky Gervais" back to the show.
Britain's Independent wrote a damning piece headlined, "Banal, unfunny and not as dangerous as he thinks: It’s time we stopped glorifying Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Golden Globes: Ricky Gervais to host award show for fifth, 'last' time
