Ricky Gervais on a Golden Globes Return: ‘The Plot Thickens’

The comedian doesn’t deny a story about him meeting with the HFPA president and an NBC exec to discuss him hosting the Golden Globes again

Has all been forgiven? Ricky Gervais seems to be hinting that it just might be, via his tweeted response to a New York Post article about him potentially returning to host the Golden Globes next January.

"Ooooooh! The plot thickens," Gervais tweeted on Thursday, along with a link to the Post article, which reported he had dinner in Paris with Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Aida Takla-O’Reilly and NBC programming exec Doug Vaughan to discuss a possible return to Globes hosting duty.

Read more: Globes Host Gervais Denies HFPA Tried to Muzzle Him

Representatives for Gervais and HFPA did not immediately respond to TheWrap's requests for comment.

Gervais' celebrity-aimed jabs while hosting the Globes last January ruffled some famous feathers, and it was rumored he wouldn't be asked to host again.

An HFPA insider told TheWrap in February, "It's highly unlikely. Twice was nice. Let's leave it at that." 

But with a new HFPA president (Takla-O'Reilly took over the position from Philip Berk in June), times may have changed, and "The Office" creator even pokes fun at the situation in his upcoming TV comedy "Life's Too Short." Gervais recently released a clip from the show, in which guest star Johnny Depp pretends to be angry with him about a Depp joke at the Golden Globes.

Check out Depp and Gervais' faux row below:

A happy return to the Golden Globes for Gervais would also be a win for the HFPA, which has faced a series of legal woes this year. A former Golden Globes publicist, Michael Russell, filed a lawsuit against the group in January, alleging fraud and corrupt practices and seeking $2 million for lost wages and damages.

On Wednesday, a judge denied HFPA's attempt to have Russell's case dismissed.

Meanwhile, HFPA's own lawsuit against Dick Clark Productions may not go before a judge until July 2012. The HFPA is suing the show's long-time producer, accusing it of devising a sneaky way to renew its contract to air the annual awards show.

The Golden Globes will air on NBC on Jan. 15.

Comments