The Golden Globe Awards officially kick off Awards Season, possibly teasing what will happen with other ceremonies like the Oscars and Emmys. The Hollywood Foreign Press' statues are a coveted fixture in the film world, and comedian Ricky Gervais is hosting for his fifth and final time. Gervais pulled no punches with his opening monologue, which took shots at various people in the room. What resulted was plenty of cringeworthy reaction shots, and awkward moments. Although there are seven that were particularly anxiety inducing.
The following are the most awkward moments from Ricky Gervais' opening monologue for the Golden Globes. It's not ranking the funniest or worst jokes, but the ones that seemed to take the air out of the room, with actors like Tom Hanks reacting in clips that will be constructed into endless memes. Did we include your favorite awkward moment? Let us know in the comments.
The Felicity Huffman Joke
One of the biggest Hollywood controversies to come from 2019 was the infamous admission scandal. This saw a few notable actors being prosecute for fraud, for allegedly helping to boost their child's SAT scores and admission into college/university. Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman were two of the names involved, with the latter actress serving 11 days. Ricky Gervais took the chance to poke fun at the situation, claiming that his limo's license plate was made by Huffman during her time behind bars. It was one of the monologue's first major dig, and teased what was in store for the future of the monologue.
The Leonardo DiCaprio Joke
Leonardo DiCaprio has a bit of a reputation regarding his romantic life. It's often joked about that he only dates models, ones significantly younger than the 45-year old Oscar winner. Since Ricky Gervais took the time to take the piss out of everyone at the Golden Globe Awards during his opening monologue, he certainly wasn't going to pass the chance to poke fun at Leo. While joking about the long runtime of movies like The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Gervais zeroed in on DiCaprio. He joked that the actor attended Once Upon A Time...'s premiere, and by the time the movie ended his date was "too old for him." There was obviously a camera on DiCaprio for this moment, and while he was a good sport about it there was definitely some awkward moments with everyone at the table. Also, was his mom sitting next to him? Yikes.
You Could Binge Watch Afterlife
During Ricky Gervais' opening monologue at the Golden Globes, he took special aim at streaming services. Given how much of the industry is now in the hands of Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and Apple TV Plus, there's been a clear shift in the moviemaking business. Gervais chided the attendants of the Globes, but he's also got his own streaming show. In fact, he took the time to plug it during his monologue. He suggested people are home turn off the Golden Globes, and instead binge watch his show Afterlife on Netflix. Sounds like a win win for Gervais, although it was definitely a little awkward as he encouraged us to turn off the award sho before the first category.
That Steroids Joke
Ricky Gervais took the time to address many of the most common conversations in the film world. This includes the debate about superhero movies, and Martin Scorsese's comments about the genre not being considered cinema. Gervais took Scorsese's side on the subject, claiming that the performers involved weren't even really acting. Instead, he claimed they were simply being paid for "going to the gym twice a day and taking steroids." That joke didn't get much of a reaction from the audience, and it was definitely an awkward moment of the opening sequence. There were a ton of actors in the room who have done blockbusters and genre work, although critics and those folks on #TeamScorsese might have enjoyed it at home.
Isis' Streaming Service
As previously mentioned, Ricky Gervais made a series of jokes about how streaming services have taken over the film and television world. He admonishes the actors and filmmakers who have used that type of platform, many of which are nominated for Golden Globes Awards. This is also a commentary about how audiences are more inclined to stream movies than head to theaters, with the exception being major blockbusters like the MCU and Star Wars. Gervais hammers the point home, saying that the actors and filmmakers would join a streaming service launched by Isis if it came down to it. Because who doesn't love comedy mixed with references to Isis? Cue the awkward.
Cats And Judi Dench
This was a joke so crude that even Ricky Gervais had a hard time delivering it. Right before taking aim at 85 year-old Cats star Judi Dench, he even went so far as as to say he "can't do this." But Gervais pushed on, and gave a hilariously awkward jab at the legendary actress. The joke went as follows: "Dame Judi Dench defended the film, saying it was the role she was born to play because she – I can’t do this next joke. Because she loves nothing better than plunking her ass down on the carpet, lifting her legs and licking her own minge. She’s old school." For those who don't speak British slang, a minge is a reference to female genitalia. The word itself was bleeped out, and the audience reaction was priceless. And awkward AF.
"Fuck Off"
From the jump, Ricky Gervais makes it known that he is out of craps to give, as tonight is his fifth and final time hosting the Golden Globe Awards. He drank a big chug of his beer, before making ruthless jokes at everyone in the room. And after providing plenty of awkward and hilarious moments, he eventually resorted to throwing F-bombs at everyone, and the ceremony as a whole. To wrap up his opening monologue at the Golden Globes, Gervais made jokes in advance about all the winners. He said "So if you do win an award tonight, don’t use your platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg. So if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent and your god and fuck off." That makes his feelings crystal clear, and he's no doubt going to make some more wild jokes throughout the course of this year's Golden Globe ceremony.
Did we miss any especially awkward moments from Ricky Gervais' Golden Globes Opening Monologue? Let us know in the comments section below. And be sure to check back with CinemaBlend's winners list. Our 2020 release list to look ahead for the world movies, and our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
