Stars planning to attend the 2016 Golden Globes should start bracing themselves: Ricky Gervais is returning to host after a three-year hiatus. The comedian, who last served as master of ceremonies from 2010 to 2012, has received mixed to negative reactions for his crude and sometimes downright mean jokes, poking fun at everything from stars’ drug habits to the way they sometimes pander in their choices of movie roles. (An example of one such joke, from 2011: “Also not nominated: I Love You Phillip Morris. Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, two heterosexual actors pretending to be gay. So the complete opposite of some famous Scientologists, then. My lawyers helped with that joke.”)
Many have argued that rich, famous movie stars are fair game for ribbing at self-indulgent awards shows, and certainly it can be satisfying to watch a host puncture the pomp. But having Gervais as host usually means watching a man who doesn’t seem to really enjoy what he’s doing crack only-sort-of-funny jokes. And after three years of the fun, light, but often still biting banter we got with the team of Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, seeing Gervais return to host—especially after he has frequently promised he wouldn’t return—feels like a letdown.
