Ricky Gervais does not hold back when he makes jokes, and the reason why he has been chosen to host the Golden Globe five times is because he might say something wildly offensive and controversial that would steal everyone’s attention. Indeed, every time he goes up the stage, some of his jokes would land and some would miss.
The Golden Globes monologue is one of the most highly anticipated parts of the event because not only it serves as an icebreaker but it also works as a commentary on the issues in the Hollywood industry.
Ricky Gervais Delivered The Most Iconic Speech On Gender Pay Gap
One of Ricky Gervais’ most iconic and hard-hitting speeches at the Golden Globe Awards took place in 2016 after he slammed the long-enduring gender discrimination and pay disparity in Hollywood. He noted the female remakes of movies that were originally starred in by men.
“There’s a female remake of ‘Ghostbusters.’ There’s going to be a female remake of ‘Ocean’s 11.’ And this is brilliant for the studios because they get guaranteed box office results, and they don’t have to spend too much money on the cast.”
Female actresses receive lesser pay as compared to their male counterparts. This has been an issue raised on many occasions by celebrities who have been campaigning for equal pay grades. Gervais said in his speech that women should be compensated equally as men for doing the same exact performance.
“Women should be paid the same as men for doing the same job, and I would like to say now that I’m getting paid exactly the same as Tina and Amy did last year for hosting this — no I know there was two of them, but it’s not my fault if they want to share the money, is it? That’s their stupid fault. It’s funny ’cause it’s true.”
This is definitely one of the most iconic parts of Ricky Gervais’ speech during the Golden Globes event. Only a few actors speak out about such matters that are important to women, and even if it was said as a joke and people did laugh about it, no one can deny that it is entirely based on truth and reality.
Women Are Horribly Underpaid In Most Jobs
In a 2017 research by university professors via CNBC, women are paid about $1.1 million less than their male co-stars. For actors beyond 50, the pay gap is even more insane. Older female stars earn almost $4 million less than their male counterparts. Women of color are considerably underpaid as compared to their white female co-stars.
According to Forbes, even Hollywood’s highest-paid female celebrities earn less than 30 cents for every dollar made by male actors. This problem also affects women behind the camera, such as writers and directors, and most especially in regular rank-and-file jobs.
It’s both sad and alarming that this is still rampant nowadays despite many campaigns and petitions to raise the salary of women. Perhaps another Golden Globes speech from Ricky Gervais targeting the issue might help Hollywood remember what it needs to do.
