Comedian Ricky Gervais slammed the hypocrisy of Hollywood celebrities hours before the 92nd Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California.
Responding to a Twitter user’s question about what his “best joke” would be if he were hosting the award show for the elite group of filmmakers and actors, the Golden Globes presenter poked fun at actors giving “inspiration speeches” while their “badly paid migrant house staff” take the opportunity to sleep.
“I can’t wait to hear all your inspirational speeches about equality, and it’s great that the 3 hours you’re here tonight is the only time your badly paid migrant house staff will get some time off to sleep this week,” he tweeted Sunday morning.
“I can’t wait to hear all your inspirational speeches about equality, and it’s great that the 3 hours you’re here tonight is the only time your badly paid migrant house staff will get some time off to sleep this week” https://t.co/fsFbdDkv6u
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) February 9, 2020
Gervais, whose pithy performance at the Golden Globes in December was celebrated for its honesty and excoriation of the Hollywood cabal, posted a laughing emoji when it was announced that the Oscars would go without a host for the second year in a row.
Last year, the Academy canceled on would-be host Kevin Hart after it was revealed that the comedian made decades-old homophobic jokes.
Gervais, 58, was criticized by some as utilizing “right-wing” talking points during his Golden Globes performance, but the U.K. The Office star shot back at critics, saying that “teasing huge corporations, and the richest, most privileged people” was not conservative in nature.
The Academy Award winners are known for lengthy and sometimes political speeches. Joker star Joaquin Phoenix slammed the “systemic racism” of the film industry during his speech for winning best actor at the British Academy Film Awards show last week. In 1973, Native American actress and activist Sacheen Littlefeather accepted Marlon Brando’s best actor award as a protest against the typecasting of Native Americans in film.
