Ricky Gervais to return as Golden Globes host for 5th time

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Tuesday morning that controversial comedian Ricky Gervais will return as host of the Golden Globes for the fifth time.

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

Gervais had hosted the event from 2010-2012 and then returned in 2016. His raucous and savage comedy was both celebrated and hated. The Economist went so far as to call him “characteristically unwatchable.”

HFPA president Lorenzo Soria said, “When Ricky Gervais is at the helm of the Golden Globes Awards, we can always expect the unexpected. We’re excited to see it all unfold on Jan. 5!”

“There is always a palpable electricity in the room when Ricky takes the Globes stage. His return as master of ceremonies at the Golden Globes is much anticipated,” said NBC Entertainment chairman Paul Telegdy. “It always makes for an unexpected evening. We can’t wait to see what he has up his sleeve.”

Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg hosted the 2019 Golden Globes, which received a 5.2 rating and 18.6 million viewers. Ratings-wise it was good and bad, depending on how you looked at it (good for NBC overall, but not a big improvement from the previous year) but their reviews were largely positive.

The 77th annual Golden Globes air live on NBC on January 5th from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.