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He trash-talked Tim Allen, accused judges of taking bribes, and even picked apart the president of the Foreign Press Association that hired him as host. Are the Golden Globes willing to let Gervais dish out another beating next year? Gervais says he’s been invited back, but is that just his latest insult?
“Thank you, sir! May I have another?” Could the classic paddling scene from Animal House parallel the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s wishes for next year’s ceremony?
Ricky Gervais says he’s been invited back to host the Golden Globes for the third year in a row, according to a British magazine. But on Tuesday, HFPA president Philip Berk quickly skewered the comedian, issuing a statement saying, “There is no truth to this rumor. We have not asked him to come back. Nice try, Ricky.”
(More on TIME.com: See a brief history of the Golden Globes.)
Whether you think Gervais went too far – or just far enough – at this year’s ceremony, the HFPA is reveling in the afterglow of his hosting stint. Gervais notes in the February issue of Heat magazine, “The ratings went up again, and the organizers asked me to consider a third year.”
The close-lipped Gervais refused to let executives vet his jokes this year. As a result, “he definitely crossed the line,” Berk told The Hollywood Reporter. “And some of the things were totally unacceptable. But that’s Ricky.”
Why would Berk want Gervais up on stage again, especially after Berk himself was the butt of a joke? Ricky introduced the 84-year-old while quipping that he “just had to help him off the toilet and pop his teeth in.”
(More on TIME.com: Read TIME’s TV critic’s take on the 2011 Golden Globe Awards.)
Despite the “he said, she said,” Gervais isn’t sure he’d take the bait, anyway. He tells Heat about hosting next year, “I don’t think I should. I don’t know what I could do better. I certainly couldn’t get more press for them, that’s for sure.” We’ll see about that, Ricky. Seems like you’re certainly trying.