Ricky Gervais offers no apologies for Golden Globes jokes

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Ricky Gervais isn't worried that his cutting humor at Sunday's Golden Globes made anyone dislike him, because he was just doing his job.

"I don't care what people think of me," Gervais said in an interview airing Thursday on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight." "I care if I've done a good job, and I care if I've told the truth."

Gervais' jokes targeted many of Hollywood's biggest stars and the group that hired him to host the awards show for a second year.

"They hired me for a job and if they didn't want me, they shouldn't have hired me," Gervais said.

His job as comedian is to give people a release, he said.
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RELATED TOPICS * Ricky Gervais * Hollywood Foreign Press Association * Robert Downey Jr.

"Comedy is laughing in the face of adversity," he said. "We use comedy as a sword, a shield, as a medicine, as a getting to know you. It's fundamental. It's a fundamental we understand comedy and we have humor, because it's built on empathy, and that's what being human is."

The British comedian told Morgan he was just "confronting the elephant in the room" with one-liners about the bad movies and bad behavior of the actors sitting in front of him.

"Don't forget, I've got to be an outsider," he said. "I mustn't come out there as everyone's mate and schmooze. That's nauseating. I've got to come out there, and I've got to roast them."

The roasting of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which owns the show, brought laughs but raised eyebrows because of a lawsuit filed by its own former publicists days earlier accusing the small group of taking payola for nominations.

The HFPA's president issued a statement later distancing the group from the jokes.

"But he said to me beforehand he believes in freedom of speech," Gervais said. "Also, you know, all he said was, I think, if I remember, he said, 'Those attacks weren't necessarily the thoughts of' -- and they're not. All he said was, 'I didn't see the script,' which is fine, which is absolutely true."

Gervais made his freedom to say what he wished a condition of employment, he said.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, because if you start second-guessing and you're trying to find people that are like you, or change it to make certain people like you, you're finished," he said. "And you're finished as a comedian more than any other thing in the world."

He expected groans mixed with laughter from his star-studded audience, he said.

When introducing Robert Downey Jr., Gervais read a list of his less-than-successful movies.

"He has done all those films, but many of you in this room probably know him best from such facilities as the Betty Ford Clinic and Los Angeles County Jail," Gervais told the audience.

Downey quickly fired back.

"Aside from the fact that it's been hugely mean-spirited, with mildly sinister undertones, I'd say the vibe of the show is pretty good so far," Downey said. "Wouldn't you?"

Gervais told Morgan that Downey was joking and not really bothered by the introduction.

"Why would he be? He's Robert Downey Jr. He's the coolest man in the world. Why would he care?"

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• Ricky Gervais
• Golden Globes
• 2011 Golden Globes Awards
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[FuckingDracula]

America, the country where you should apology for having an opinion.

And I'm american.

[deathofsmokey]

Comedy is disrespectful by its nature. It exists to make light of the endless absurdities of our existence. If someone is offended, you're doing your job.

[ilovemyschnauzer1]

Ricky Gervais was mean. Award show hosts should poke fun, but not be offensive while doing it

[FuckingDracula]

LOOKS LIKE TYPOS ARE SERIOUS FUCKING BUSINESS

[onehumblebear]

@FuckingDracula Apologize you bastard!

[TomClothier]

Piers morgan clearly doesn't know much about sharks.

[TheXyzizzle]

Obviously the Hollywood Foreign Press is not too concerned with his performance since he invited him 3 YEARS IN A ROW to host the Golden Globes. Chances are if they know what's good for them, he'll be back for the GG 2013. They should put him on a 5 year contract. He's the reason why a lot of us tuned in these past couple of years to see this boring awards show.

[wildcard749]

@FuckingDracula yes i have 12 years old, ill get back to you when i figure out what that means, you must be french

[FuckingDracula]

@wildcard749 . . . You have like 12 years old something like that right?