Ricky Gervais has made history with his latest accolade, winning the first Golden Globe in new category Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television.
The British comedian, 62, previously insisted he had no chance of winning, but triumphed over Trevor Noah (Where Was I); Chris Rock (Selective Outrage); Amy Schumer (Emergency Contact); Sarah Silverman (Someone You Love) and Wanda Sykes (I’m An Entertainer).
He did not attend the ceremony in Beverly Hills on Sunday night, with comic Jim Gaffigan accepting the award for Ricky’s Netflix special Armageddon on his behalf.
While Ricky is no stranger to a Hollywood accolade and has previously won three Golden Globes for his work on The Office and Extras, his latest win no doubt raised eyebrows among his fellow celebrities.
Not only has the comic angered several stars by branding Hollywood ‘disgusting, pill-popping, sexually deviant scum’, but he has come under fire for his Armageddon special, in which he cracks jokes about terminally ill children.
Ricky Gervais has made history with his latest accolade, winning the first Golden Globe in new category Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television (pictured in 2020)
Ricky won the award for his controversial Netflix special Armageddon which has seen him come under fire for including jokes about terminally ill children
Prior to the ceremony, Ricky told his followers on X, formerly Twitter: ‘I’m nominated for another Golden Globe tonight. This time for my Netflix special Armageddon. Won’t win, but it’s nice to still be up there in the mix, flying the flag.’
After his shock victory, he shared a selfie with his cat at home in London as he explained his absence from the American awards show.
He penned: ‘Thank you so much for all your lovely comments & kind words about my Golden Globe win. Best fans in the world. I’m playing a 200 seater tonight in King’s Cross doing new material. The glamour. Have a great day!’
While he was congratulated by many followers, he also wasn’t without criticism.
Among those who have hit out at the comic for his jokes is British disability charity Scope.
During the Netflix special, Ricky pokes fun at Make-A-Wish requests, saying: ‘I always say yes [to their requests]. And I always start the video the same way. I go “why didn’t you wish to get better? What, you f***ing retarded as well?”‘
Scope warned that ‘language like this has consequences’, stating: ‘We wish we were surprised by reports that Ricky Gervais has used ableist slurs in his new Netflix special.
‘Language like this has consequences and we’re just not accepting the explanation that Gervais uses to try and justify this language.’
‘He argues that he wouldn’t use this language in “real-life”. But his stand-up routine doesn’t exist in a parallel universe. The stage is real. Netflix is real. The people this kind of language impacts are real.’
Sess Cova, a mother who says her child Katy ‘bravely battled cancer’, also launched a petition urging Netflix to remove the ‘offensive skit from its platform’. It has since received more than 5,000 signatures.
Yet Ricky was unfazed by the backlash, saying of the petition: ‘Good luck. That’s what I say to them. Good luck. I’ll even retweet it’.
Ricky failed to attend the ceremony, having earlier posted on X his prediction that ‘Won’t win, but it’s nice to still be up there in the mix, flying the flag’
After his shock victory, he shared a selfie with his cat at home in London as he explained his absence from the American awards show
Golden Globes 2024 WINNERS: AT A GLANCE
FILM
Best Motion Picture – Drama: Oppenheimer
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy: Poor Things
Cinematic and Box Office Achievement: Barbie
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama: Lily Gladstone – Killers Of The Flower Moon
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama: Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy: Emma Stone – Poor Things
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy: Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture: Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture: Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Best Director – Motion Picture: Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Best Original Song – Motion Picture: What Was I Made For? – Barbie – Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell
Emma Stone triumphed as she earned Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
TELEVISION
Best Television Series – Drama: Succession
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy: The Bear
Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television: Beef
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Drama: Sarah Snook – Succession
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Drama: Kieran Culkin – Succession
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy: Ayo Edebiri – The Bear
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy: Jeremy Allen White – The Bear
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television: Ali Wong – Beef
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television: Steven Yeun – Beef
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television: Elizabeth Debicki – The Crown
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television: Matthew Macfadyen – Succession
The After Life star previously revealed he wants to get ‘cancelled’ and is determined to turn up the shock-factor, even if it has a negative impact on is long-term career prospects.
He told Heat: ‘One thing I’ve decided to definitely do, and can’t wait to start on, is my new stand-up show, which is going to be called Armageddon.
‘I’m treating it like it’s my last one ever. It won’t be, but I want to put everything into it. I want to try and get cancelled. No, I just want to go all-out there.
‘It’s about the end of the world and how we’re going to destroy ourselves for lots of reasons, whether it’s media stupidity, or the actual end of the world.’
Ricky is no stranger to backlash over his jokes.
In 2021, the comedian hit back at critics after Twitter’s ‘woke brigade’ turned on Ricky for mocking cancel culture with jokes about transgender people, Adolf Hitler and AIDS in his SuperNature Netflix special.
He kicked off the show with a warning about irony as he described the concept of comedy to the audience as ‘basically a bloke talking’, before purposely failing to recall any ‘funny female comedians’.
In SuperNature, Ricky wasted no time singling out the ‘virtue-signalling’ and ‘dominant mobs’ who are quick to criticise just to ‘bring people down to raise their own status’.
But his jokes were later described as ‘dangerous’ material by an American LGBT rights group, while Stonewall accused him of ‘making fun of trans people’.
In response, Ricky told The Spectator at the time: ‘My target wasn’t trans folk, but trans activist ideology. I’ve always confronted dogma that oppresses people and limits freedom of expression.’
Sess Cova, a mother who says her child Katy ‘bravely battled cancer’, launched a petition urging Netflix to remove the ‘offensive skit from its platform’
Ricky was also has slammed for uttering the n-word in 2011 clip from HBO’s Talking Funny special that resurfaced and quickly went viral
Ricky also caused a stir when he weighed in on the infamous Oscars slapgate, saying he thought Chris Rock’s joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia was ‘tame’.
‘Someone said it was joking about her [Jada’s] disability. Well I’m going a bit thin, so I’m disabled. That means I can park right up next to Tescos now,’ he quipped, adding: ‘I’m fat, that’s a disease. I’m fat and balding, I should get f***ing benefits.’
Ricky has also been slammed for uttering the N-word.
A 2011 clip from HBO’s Talking Funny special resurfaced seven years later and quickly went viral as it showed the comedian sitting with Louis CK, Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfield as they discussed the use of the word n****r in comedy.
Ricky laughed as Chris and Louis repeatedly used the slur while Jerry watched on uncomfortably and said he wouldn’t use the term anywhere.
He then threw around the slur while attempting to claim he doesn’t use it, joking: ‘Who says n****r on stage? We don’t,’ referring to himself and Jerry, who was quick to point out: ‘You just did.’
The resurfaced footage sparked outrage on social media as users blasted Ricky for using the slur with ‘glee’.
Ricky has also got the backs up of many of his fellow celebrities after roasting them he hosted the Golden Globes in in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, and 2020.
During his appearances, Ricky skewered ‘woke’ Hollywood, made jokes about Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein and Prince Andrew, and tackled topics such as MeToo and ISIS that left his A-list audience wincing.
Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, and Gwyneth Paltrow were left with stunned looks on their faces after the actor mocked Felicity Huffman over the college admission scandal in 2020.
He also branded James Corden a ‘massive p***y’ and ripped Judi Dench for ‘licking’ her own private parts in his eight-minute speech.
In one blunt moment, he advised those receiving awards to avoid making political speeches because ‘you’re in no position to the public about anything’, adding: ‘If you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent, and your God and f*** off.’
The comic underlined his point by jesting: ‘You say you’re woke but the companies you work for in China — unbelievable. Apple, Amazon, Disney. If ISIS started a streaming service you’d call your agent, wouldn’t you?’
Ricky went on to say that the reception to his jokes changed over the years, saying initially people hated when he hurled abuse at the rich and famous but the public soon ‘became tired’ of celebrities.
The Office creator said: ‘The first time I did it, 10 years ago, everyone was like, “Ah, how can you talk to these wonderful multi-millionaires, how can you talk to these beautiful people, like that? We love celebrities.”‘
‘By the last one it was like, “God, give it to them, we hate celebrities!”‘
After his last hosting stint, Ricky explained the thought process behind his roasts, reasoning: ‘Do I pander to the 200 egos in the room or the 200 million people watching around the world? And there’s no contest.
‘I know what I’m going to say. I’m not there to ruin their night, I’m there to make the people at home laugh.
‘You’ve got to write seven minutes of your best jokes, you can’t really use them again. It’s a lot of work for seven minutes, but the payoff is amazing. I mean, there’s no audience like that.’
An unrepentant Ricky went on to hit back at criticism levelled at him over his speech, saying he was playing a ‘brash character’ in his role as host.
He explained: ‘People know David Brent and Tony are characters.
‘They don’t know that me doing standup and me at the Golden Globes is a bit of a persona as well. There I play this brash character who’s come to ruin the liberal elites’ night.
‘I’ve honed those jokes. I’ve made those jokes bulletproof.’
Ricky has also got the backs up of many of his fellow celebrities after roasting them he hosted the Golden Globes in in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, and 2020
The likes of Tom Hanks and Gwyneth Paltrow were left with stunned looks on their faces as the actor mocked Felicity Huffman over the college admission scandal in 2020
Yet Hollywood can rest easy for now as Ricky revealed he doesn’t want to host the show again.
He explained: ‘It could be the Golden Globes could offer me £10m for 10 minutes work, you know, and I’d be an idiot, I’d be a liar, to say I wouldn’t consider it.
‘But at the moment, given I’ve done it five times, it got better and better for me – I enjoyed them all, but it got better – and I’m planning never to do it again.
‘I’ve asked them not to ask me because I can be persuaded, that’s true. You know, it’s not a principle.’
Winners for the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards
Best Motion Picture – Drama
Anatomy of a Fall
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer – WINNER
Past Lives
The Zone of Interest
Oppenheimer earned top prize Best Motion Picture – Drama (Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas are pictured)
Best Motion Picture – Animated
The Boy and the Heron – WINNER
Elemental
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Suzume
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Wish
Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language
Anatomy of a Fall – WINNER
Fallen Leaves
Io Capitano
Past Lives
Society of the Snow
The Zone of Interest
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Andrew Scott – All of Us Strangers
Barry Keoghan – Saltburn
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer – WINNER
Colman Domingo – Rustin
Leonardo DiCaprio – Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction
Joaquin Phoenix – Beau is Afraid
Matt Damon – Air
Nicolas Cage – Dream Scenario
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers – WINNER
Timothée Chalamet – Wonka
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Charles Melton – May December
Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer – WINNER
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Willem Dafoe – Poor Things
Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. both earned Best Performance by a Male Actor and Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Oppenheimer, respectively
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach – Barbie
Tony McNamara – Poor Things
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon
Celine Song – Past Lives
Justine Triet and Arthur Harari – Anatomy of a Fall – WINNER
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
Addicted to Romance – She Came to Me – Bruce Springsteen
Dance the Night – Barbie – Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, Dua Lipa, Caroline Ailin
I’m Just Ken – Barbie – Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt
Peaches – The Super Mario Bros. Movie – Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond, John Spiker
Road to Freedom – Rustin – Lenny Kravitz
What Was I Made For? – Barbie – Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell – WINNER
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Abbott Elementary
Barry
The Bear – WINNER
Jury Duty
Only Murders in the Building
Ted Lasso
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us
Emma Stone – The Curse
Helen Mirren – 1923
Imelda Staunton – The Crown
Keri Russell – The Diplomat
Sarah Snook – Succession – WINNER
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Ayo Edebiri – The Bear -WINNER
Elle Fanning – The Great
Natasha Lyonne – Poker Face
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary
Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Selena Gomez – Only Murders in the Building
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Ali Wong – Beef – WINNER
Brie Larson – Lessons in Chemistry
Elizabeth Olsen – Love & Death
Juno Temple – Fargo
Rachel Weisz – Dead Ringers
Riley Keough – Daisy Jones and the Six
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television
Abby Elliott – The Bear
Christina Ricci – Yellowjackets
Elizabeth Debicki – The Crown – WINNER
Hannah Waddingham – Ted Lasso
J. Smith-Cameron – Succession
Meryl Streep – Only Murders in the Building
Elizabeth Debicki won Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television for The Crown
Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television
Amy Schumer: Emergency Contact
Chris Rock: Selective Outrage
Ricky Gervais: Armageddon – WINNER
Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love
Trevor Noah: Where Was I
Wanda Sykes: I’m an Entertainer
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Air
American Fiction
Barbie
The Holdovers
May December
Poor Things – WINNER
Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
Barbie – WINNER
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
John Wick: Chapter 4
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1
Oppenheimer
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Barbie beat out Taylor Swift in a new category Cinematic and Box Office Achievement as Margot Robbie accepted
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Annette Bening – Nyad
Cailee Spaeny – Priscilla
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Greta Lee – Past Lives
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon – WINNER
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Alma Pöysti – Fallen Leaves
Emma Stone – Poor Things – WINNER
Fantasia Barrino – The Color Purple (2023)
Jennifer Lawrence – No Hard Feelings
Margot Robbie – Barbie
Natalie Portman – May December
Emma Stone triumphed as she earned Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Poor Things and also led the film to top honor Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple (2023)
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers – WINNER
Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
Jodie Foster – Nyad
Julianne Moore – May December
Rosamund Pike – Saltburn
Best Director – Motion Picture
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Celine Song – Past Lives
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer – WINNER
Greta Gerwig – Barbie
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon
Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
The Boy and the Heron
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer – WINNER
Poor Things
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
The Zone of Interest
Best Television Series – Drama
1923
The Crown
The Diplomat
The Last of Us
The Morning Show
Succession – WINNER
Succession nearly swept the television drama categories including top prize Best Television Series – Drama
Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television
All the Light We Cannot See
Beef – WINNER
Daisy Jones and the Six
Fargo
Fellow Travelers
Lessons in Chemistry
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Brian Cox – Succession
Dominic West – The Crown
Gary Oldman – Slow Horses
Jeremy Strong – Succession
Kieran Culkin – Succession – WINNER
Pedro Pascal – The Last of Us
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Bill Hader – Barry
Jason Segel – Shrinking
Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso
Jeremy Allen White – The Bear – WINNER
Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building
Steve Martin – Only Murders in the Building
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television
David Oyelowo – Lawman: Bass Reeves
Jon Hamm – Fargo
Matt Bomer – Fellow Travelers
Sam Claflin – Daisy Jones and the Six
Steven Yeun – Beef – WINNER
Woody Harrelson – White House Plumbers
Steven Yeun took home Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television for Beef
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television
Alan Ruck – Succession
Alexander Skarsgård – Succession
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show
Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Bear
James Marsden – Jury Duty
Matthew Macfadyen – Succession – WINNER
