Golden Globes 2020: Ricky Gervais Continues Receiving Backlash Amid Transphobic Comments

Ricky Gervais is set to host his fifth Golden Globes ceremony, but he won’t be doing so without controversy. Back in December, he found himself in troubled water after a string of transphobic tweets. With not much time in between that incident and his presence on the nationally televised awards show, many took to social media to voice their frustration over him being the host.

“So I guess with Ricky Gervais still being able to host the #GoldenGlobes despite his CURRENT raging transphobic tweets, one thing is clear: homophobia is a big NO but transphobia is a big WHO CARES? Also goes to show how performative society really is with their trans allyship,” one user on Twitter posted.

The same user later wrote: “So everybody at the #GoldenGlobes red carpet is just gonna pretend that Ricky Gervais’s transphobic tweets didn’t happen and nobody is gonna speak up and support and defend trans people huh ok.”

The controversy began when Gervais commented on a remark made by J.K. Rowling regarding Maya Forstater, who was fired after she had tweeted that a person cannot change their biological sex.

“Those awful biological women can never understand what it must be like for you becoming a lovely lady so late in life,” Gervais wrote, later claiming it was a joke. “They take their girly privileges for granted. Winning at female sports and having their own toilets. Well, enough is enough.”

His banter was also called out by actress Patricia Arquette. In an interview with Variety, Arquette spoke about how she has very strong feelings on the issue at hand.

“I just don’t think anything’s funny about making fun of the trans community. They’re really persecuted, so I don’t think it’s funny.”

Gervais isn’t a stranger to making controversial remarks.

He recently admitted that he regrets a joke he made way back in 2011 regarding Tim Allen during the Golden Globes. He felt the way he introduced him alongside his Toy Story co-star, Tom Hanks, wasn’t right.

“And I have nothing against Tim Allen. He’s a good actor. He’s probably a nice bloke. So even though there’s no malice and I can justify it comedically and everyone laughed, I didn’t want Tim Allen to think, ‘Oh, that was written for me. Why me?’ Well, because you were standing next to Tom Hanks.”

The 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony airs live at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

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