Golden Globes host Gervais rips Mel Gibson for past anti-Semitic slurs
Comic host pokes fun at actor's alcoholism and history with the police.
By JTA, REUTERSUpdated: JANUARY 11, 2016 17:00Ricky Gervais: I'd rather have a drink with him in his hotel room tonight than with Bill Cosby
Comedian Ricky Gervais promised to be "nice" but wasted no time in tweaking Hollywood's top stars with his acerbic British wit upon his return to hosting the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday.The ceremony included the presenting of an award by actor Mel Gibson, who during a widely publicized DUI arrest in 2006 made anti-Semitic slurs to the arresting officer.During his introduction of Best Picture nominee “Mad Max: Fury Road,” Gibson was roasted by host Gervais, who previously insulted him at the 2010 Golden Globe Awards ceremony.“A few years ago on this show I made a joke about Mel Gibson getting a bit drunk and saying a few unsavory things,” Gervais said on Sunday night. “We’ve all done it. I wasn’t judging him, but now I find myself in the awkward position of having to introduce him again. Listen I’m sure it’s embarrassing for both of us, and I blame NBC for this terrible situation. And Mel blames… Well, we know who Mel blames.”Gervais added, "I want to say something nice about Mel before he comes out. So, here you go: I'd rather have a drink with him in his hotel room tonight than with Bill Cosby."When Gibson was stopped on the Pacific Coast Highway in 2006 on suspicion of driving under the influence, he asked Los Angeles County Sheriff deputy James Mee, “Are you a Jew?” and then ranted, “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.” Mee included Gibson’s remarks in his initial report to illustrate how drunk the actor was, but said that superiors told him to put the Gibson slurs in a separate report not available to the public. Gibson later apologized for the anti-Semitic remarks.Gervais took one last shot at Gibson by closing the show by saying, " “From myself and Mel Gibson, shalom.”Jewish nominees who received Golden Globe Awards on Sunday include Aaron Sorkin in the Best Screenplay category for the film “Steve Jobs,” and Rachel Bloom for Best Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy for “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” which she also co-created.The Hungarian Holocaust movie “Son of Saul” won the Golden Globe Award for best foreign language film.