Ricky Gervais had clearly been sharpening his claws ahead of the 73rd annual Golden Globes on Sunday.
The Golden Globes host had a fresh target to take down within the first few seconds of his opening monologue, thanks to a certain Rolling Stone article.
“I wanna do this monologue and then go into hiding, OK. Not even Sean Penn will find me … snitch,” Gervais said in a nod to Penn’s “El Chapo” interview.
He addressed what many deemed the “category fraud” of “The Martian’s” nomination for best comedy. “To be fair, ‘The Martian’ was a lot funnier than ‘Pixels.’ But then again, so was ‘Schindler’s List,’ ” he said.
He also got in the usual digs about Hollywood narcissism.
“Remember, if you do win tonight, nobody cares about that award as much as you do,” he quipped.
And Gervais couldn’t help courting controversy with a Caitlyn Jenner jab.
“I’ve changed … not as much as Bruce Jenner, obviously,” he said. “Now Caitlyn Jenner, of course. She’s become a role model for trans people everywhere. Showing great bravery in breaking down stereotypes. She didn’t do a lot for women drivers. But you can’t have everything. Not at the same time.”
He also had something to say about “Spotlight,” a film about Catholic priests sexually abusing children.
“Roman Polanski called it the best date movie ever,” Gervais joked.
Later in the awards show, Gervais made an all-too-easy Charlie Sheen joke when he introduced Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer, the stars of “Joy” and “Trainwreck.”
“No, not the names of Charlie Sheen’s two favorite hookers,” Gervais quipped.
