Thank You, Ricky Gervais, For Not Showing Up to the Golden Globes
I can’t believe I am about to say these words: We have Ricky Gervais to thank for one of the best moments at this year’s Golden Globes.
This year’s telecast was already filled with a lot of bizarre things: undeniably wacky music choices, a tie-in with UFC, an entire segment devoted to celebrity podcasts, and a few genuine upsets among the film winners that have me curious how Oscars season is going to go. But the Best Comedy Special portion of the evening ended up being uniquely special… thanks, in large part, to Gervais’ complete and total absence from the night.
The award was presented by fellow comedian Wanda Sykes, who used the segment as an opportunity to roast the various nominees. She joked that Brett Goldstein has a “great supervillain voice” and that Bill Maher needs to “try less,” before delivering the biggest wallop towards Gervais.
“Ricky Gervais, I love you for not being here,” Sykes said. “No, I love you, Ricky, because if you win, I get to accept the award on your behalf, and you’re going to thank God and the trans community.”
Gervais is absolutely no stranger to the Globes, having hosted the ceremony nearly half a dozen times over the years. He is also no stranger to courting public controversy, especially with regards to his years worth of comments about the transgender community. He caught ire for making jokes on the subject when he hosted the Globes in 2016, in his 2018 comedy special Humanity, and again in his 2022 special SuperNature. It got to the point where GLAAD put out a statement condemning him for making “dangerous, anti-trans rants masquerading as jokes.”
Once Gervais had, in fact, won the category during the 2026 Globes, Sykes made good on her promise. Before leaving the stage, she told the audience that “Ricky Gervais says he would like to thank God. And the trans community.” Sure, I don’t necessarily love that Gervais was given another accolade: even beyond his numerous controversies, you can easily make the argument that he didn’t have the best stand-up special released in the past year. But I’m sure I’m not alone in relishing in the fact that all of the proverbial oxygen he was given during the Globes was used to spotlight causes in a way that he never would. Thank you, Wanda Sykes, for making it happen.
(featured image: Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
