Brit comedian Ricky Gervais roused both laughter and outrage with his close-to-the-bone one-liners as host of last night’s Golden Globe awards.
The Office creator, 49, took pot shots at scientologists, gay celebrities masquerading as straight, alleged corruption in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Angelina Jolie and Hugh Hefner.
He opened the ceremony by saying: “It’s going to be a night of partying and heavy drinking. Or, as Charlie Sheen likes to call it, breakfast.”
Later he described Ashton Kutcher as “Bruce Willis’s son” while Heather Mills was also targeted.
When talking about Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, Gervais said: “Heather Mills calls him the one that got away.”
He then described the film I Love You, Phillip Morris, starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, as: “Two heterosexual actors pretending to be gay – which is the exact opposite of some famous Scientologists.”
Footage showed some Hollywood stars, including Robert De Niro and Alec Baldwin, collapsing with laughter. But not everyone was as impressed.
The New York Daily News described his performance as “tasteless, bordering on nasty,” and the LA Times called him “snotty and abusive.”
And film producer Harvey Weinstein joked that he “will never work again.”
He said: “There are seven people that we’ve hired to kill him and deservedly so.
“Knowing that Ricky Gervais will never work again means a lot to me, I’m going to make sure of it.”
The King’s Speech director Tom Hooper said: “Will he ever present another awards show again? I don’t know but if he went out, he went out burning.”
It’s not the first time a British comedian has shocked America with their outrageous one-liners at an awards show.
Russell Brand famously sparked outrage when he attacked George Bush and the Jonas Brothers whilst hosting the MTV VMA’s.
Pot shot – surely!
Brilliant
Wow, the man is a genius.
People in hollywood need to learn to laugh at themselves… because everyone else in the world is.
Worst.Article.Article.
Poorly written – full of factual errors.
Pathetic.
“one face, two bodies”
Funniest host ever. It’s about time someone stood up to these Hollywood idiots. Way to go, Ricky
Not funny at all, rude, insulting, mean and just plain nasty.
That isn’t where his so called comedy belongs. Not what I tuned in to see and hear. It was an evening to celebrate good shows and fine performances. Not a time for him to make it a vulgar roast.
He certainly won’t be back or any where.
He may be vulgar, but all the things he said are true. That’s why I think that above all else he’s funny, but more so a genius! Furthermore, he really doesn’t care if he gets to host again or not hehehehe that makes things even better 🙂
Why is it us Americans get so upset at the thought of … honesty.
“Later he described Ashton Kutcher as “Bruce Willis’s son”
Try again, fail journalist. He introduced Bruce Willis as “Ashton Kutcher’s dad.”
Lame article is lame. Did you even watch the Golden Globes?
Hey, dont you get the irony, its not meant to be factual idiot.
No one stands up to these egocentric, fawned over people who never get told the truth. He told the truth in a funny and satirical way. Good for him. I would pay to see him next time, it might make the self congratulatory show more interesting.
I liked it, who cares what a bunch of snobby celebrities think. They deserve all the crap they get for how much money they make doing nothing.
aww the poor celebs! God forbid they get made fun of for their own actions! I mean come on he’s a RIOT and have these people never seen his stand-up before? What were they expecting Bill Cosby?
Harvey Weinstein and his ilk is the reason Hollywood stinks, the man is a gangster, a hoodlum. Thin skinned and ludicrously over paid the film industry needs a downgrade and a pay cut like Bankers and banking, the film industry needs to be brought down. One way is to stop paying to see the tosh masquarading as entertainment at your local cinema. Read a book instead, it’s more entertaining.