Despite vowing he’d never return, Ricky Gervais has been confirmed to host the Golden Globes for a fourth time in 2016.
He joins after a celebrated three-year stint from Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
After hosting in 2012, Gervais came under fire by a number of critics, including then-Hollywood Foreign Press president Phillip Berk, for some of his remarks concerning Jodie Foster’s sexuality and Justin Bieber’s paternity scandal.
Writing on his official blog after the 2012 ceremony, Gervais said: “Thank f**k that’s over. I’ve told my agent to never let me be persuaded to do it again though. It’s like a parachute jump.”
Despite this, NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt said he’s “excited” to have Gervais back, in a statement.
He added: “Disarming and surprising, Ricky is ready to honor – and send up – the best work of the year in film and television. Fasten your seat belts.”
Gervais hosted the Globes for three consecutive years (2010-12) when the network registered ratings gains from the previous two telecasts.
Nominations for the Golden Globes will be announced on 10 December. The 73rd annual Golden Globes air 10 January on NBC in the US.
Watch Gervais’s 2012 opening monologue, in which he takes swipes at NBC and the awards themselves, and pokes fun at the Kardashians.
