Ricky Gervais was brutally honest about his desire to host the Oscars after fans revealed they wished he was helming the 2026 awards show.
“Repost if you wish @rickygervais was hosting the #Oscars tonight,” a fan wrote via X on Sunday, March 15, with a clip of Gervais hosting the 77th Golden Globe Awards.
“F*** that! ????,” Gervais, 64, responded.
In the clip, Gervais joked about it being “the last time” he’s hosting the Globes after helming the awards show five times. “I don’t care anymore,” he said, noting, “I’m joking. I never did.”
“Let’s go out with a bang. Let’s have a laugh at your expense, shall we?” the comedian said during his January 2020 monologue. “Remember, they’re just jokes. We’re all going to die soon and there’s no sequel.”
Gervais has never hosted the Academy Awards, but he did host the Globes three consecutive years from 2010 to 2012. He returned to emcee the awards show in 2016 and again in 2020.
During his time as the Globes host, Gervais was known for his brutal honesty, mocking his peers without fear and doing it all with no regrets. The actor told Variety in May 2025 that his tactics on stage were all part of a larger plan.
“The marketing thing is that, ‘It’s live. He could say anything. Oh, my God. He’s brutal. Oh, he doesn’t care about anything.’ All those are untrue,” Gervais explained. “I write those jokes. I look at them from every angle. I make sure they’re bulletproof.”
He revealed, “I go out with a beer, I pretend to be a loose cannon, but I’m not. I’m never drunk. I have, like, a sip. And I can justify anything. I’m never that brutal. It just seems like it.”
While Gervais said hosting the Oscars, Hollywood’s biggest night, is a no-go, Conan O’Brien has risen to the occasion two years running.
O’Brien hosted his first Oscars in March 2025, making his second appearance on Sunday. He kicked off the event with a jab at Best Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet, after the Marty Supreme star, 30, got attacks from the ballet and opera communities this month when he claimed no one cared about the arts.
“Security is extremely tight tonight. I just got to mention that,” O’Brien, 62, began his monologue from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. “I’m told there’s concerns about a tax from both the opera and ballet communities.”
Chalamet was spotted laughing in the crowd while sitting next to his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner.
“They’re just mad you left out jazz,” O’Brien quipped before moving on to jokes about other nominees and movies being honored at this year’s Oscars.
The comedian teased, “I’m always so impressed by how gracious the winners are. When you guys win, you share your glory with your co-nominees, with your team, with your spouse. It’s refreshing to see all this modesty and genuine humility. But honestly, I don’t know if I could do that.”
