[Screenshot from NBC Entertainment, https://twitter.com/nbc/status/1214008610667155456?]

Have you seen Ricky Gervais’s performance at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards? If not, please enjoy it here.

In my opinion, it made the show exciting.

I’m spitballing here, but this is what I think:

• Generally, people don’t prefer to hear about politics from entertainers.
• People don’t mind political commentary from entertainment nearly as much when it comes from a variety of different viewpoints.

Sunday night, Rick provided that variety.

The show became, not just a place for liberal Democrats to sound off, but a place for them to be sounded off to.

Ricky shared some scathing advice with the star-studded crowd:

“[I]f you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg. So if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent and your God and f*** off, okay? It’s already three hours long. Right — let’s do the first award.”

At the start of the evening, he made clear he would only be kidding:

“Let’s go out with a bang. Let’s have a laugh at your expense, shall we? Remember: They’re just jokes. We’re all gonna die soon, and there’s no sequel.”

Ricky Gervais kicks off The #GoldenGlobes. pic.twitter.com/ZSdqiWMudx

— NBC Entertainment (@nbc) January 6, 2020

Still, why’d he sock it to ’em so hard?

Ricky took to Twitter Wednesday night to explain.

“I didn’t roast Hollywood for being a bunch of liberals,” he said.

“I myself am a liberal. Nothing wrong with that.”

He sure is.

But:

“I roasted them for wearing their liberalism like a medal.”

He admitted he’s of the fluffy, white, and falling variety himself:

“I’m such a snowflake, liberal, I can’t even really hate them for it.”

But he was there to do a job, and so he did it:

“My job is to take the piss. I did that.”

Yep. He did.

I didn't roast Hollywood for being a bunch of liberals. I myself am a liberal. Nothing wrong with that. I roasted them for wearing their liberalism like a medal. I'm such a snowflake, liberal, I can't even really hate them for it. But my job is to take the piss. I did that. 😇 pic.twitter.com/bYwqxiyeKu

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) January 8, 2020

His roasting wouldn’t have made any sense whatsoever 20 years ago.

However, it seems to me that, over the last bit, Hollywood has transformed the award show circuit into the Democratic National Convention.

Last year, in fact, perhaps due to the DNC conversion, the Globes scored its worst ratings in a decade.

But it’s this year’s iteration that took a pummeling in the press.

Witness the LA Times:

The last thing anyone needed was for the smirking master of ceremonies to reprimand them for having hope, or taunt the room for trying to use their influence to change things for the better.

On Tuesday, Gervais responded to the criticism with — holy cow — a substantial blistering:

“I always knew that there were morons in the world that took jokes seriously, but I’m surprised that some journalists do. Surely, understanding stuff is pretty fundamental to their job, isn’t it? Just makes it funnier though, I guess.”

I always knew that there were morons in the world that took jokes seriously, but I'm surprised that some journalists do. Surely, understanding stuff is pretty fundamental to their job, isn't it? Just makes it funnier though, I guess😇

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) January 7, 2020

And there was this, early Wednesday morning:

1. Simply pointing out whether someone is left or right wing isn’t winning the argument.
2. If a joke is good enough, it can be enjoyed by anyone.
3. It’s not all about you.
4. Just because you’re offended, doesn’t mean you’re right.

1. Simply pointing out whether someone is left or right wing isn't winning the argument.
2. If a joke is good enough, it can be enjoyed by anyone.
3. It's not all about you.
4. Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you're right.

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) January 8, 2020

He’s right — jokes are just that. We’ve reached a perilous point in society, where — in my view — a whole lot of things are taken far too seriously. A case could also be made for the opposite, but where comedy is concerned, if you’re taking it seriously, you don’t know understand comedy.

I’m grateful for Ricky Gervais, because he gets the joke — even if it’s about him.

For more of the British comedian, check out his show Extras. It’s funny and different.

Like Ricky.

-ALEX

Relevant RedState links in this article: here and here.

See 3 more pieces from me:

Are Comedians Finally Fighting Back Against the Far Left’s Cultural Clampdown?

Have We Really Fallen This Far? Star Comedian Was Scolded by TV Network for Saying ‘Merry Christmas’ to an Intern

Tim Allen Sounds Off on Entertainment’s ‘Thought Police.’ Is There Any Hope for Comedy?

Find all my RedState work here.

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