Comedians react to news Golden Globes is adding stand-up category to next year’s line-up

‘It should be called the Ricky Gervais,’ joked comedian Gabriel Iglesias

Comedians have celebrated the news that the Golden Globe Awards will introduce a category for best stand-up comedy performance.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the annual awards will introduce two new categories to the line-up for its forthcoming January ceremony.

One of the new prizes is the Best Performance in Stand-up Comedy on Television, which will honour outstanding work from a comedian (or ensemble of comedians) in a traditional stand-up format.

Comedy specials airing on broadcast, basic and premium cable, streaming and pay-per-view cable will be considered.

Famous figures in the comedy world have rejoiced at the announcement, relieved that stand-up will now have its own dedicated category.

Speaking to Variety, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias – the star of Netflix’s sitcom Mr Iglesias – joked that the new award “should be called the Ricky Gervais”.

Gervais has hosted the awards ceremony five times: in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, and 2020. The Office star courted controversy on numerous occasions, startling attendees and viewers with jokes deemed too risqué for the ceremony.

Jo Koy, star of last year’s stand-up Easter Sunday, said he was “thrilled” that the Golden Globes were acknowledging “contributions of my fellow comedians in the world of stand-up comedy”.

Ricky Gervais as seen in ‘SuperNature' (Netflix)

He continued: “I have a deep passion for this beautiful art form, and it brings me immense joy to see them shine a spotlight on the exceptional work done by my colleagues in the industry.”

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Taylor Tomlinson, an up-and-coming comic, told the publication that “there’s never been a better time in history to be a comedian”.

“Stand-up is more popular than it’s ever been thanks to the internet and it’s very cool to see it being recognised like this as an artform,” she said.

Similarly, Bert Kreischer – whose 2016 stand-up special The Machine recently debuted on Netflix – said it was “nice to know that for at least one meal a year, stand-up comedy is finally invited to sit at the adult table”.

“We belong at the kid’s table, but it’s nice to know we can sit with the grown-ups and they’ll let us drink,” he said.

Comedian Chris Rock performs stand-up (2023 Kirill Bichutsky)

Next year will see the inaugural Best Performance in Stand-up Comedy on Television prize be awarded at the January ceremony, where six comedians will duke it out for the title.

The second new category to be added to the bill is the Golden Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, which will recognise hit movies with global reach or streaming views.

Nominees will comprise the highest-earning or most-seen feature films that also deliver “creative excellence”, said a spokesperson for the Globes. Titles must have grossed at least $150m (£123m) during release, $100m (£82m) of which must have come from domestic box office to be eligible.

For streaming, films with commensurate viewership will be considered based on data from “recognized industry sources”.

The 81st annual Golden Globe Awards will kick off awards season on Sunday 7 January.