Ricky Gervais' blunt take on 'high horse' Tom Hanks' fury over Golden Globes snub

Gervais felt that reactions during the star-studded US event, which marked its 77th show, was the “best ever”.

In one clip, Brad Pitt looked uncomfortable after the comedian remarked how “dolled up” everyone looked, which some interpreted as him preparing a joke at his expense.

Star Wars actor Adam Driver, Marvel’s Captain America star Chris Evans, Gwyneth Paltrow and others burst into hysterical laughter at other celebrity swipes.

The most surprising reaction came from Hanks, who shook his head in disbelief after a joke about actress Felicity Hoffman’s involvement in the US college admissions scandal.

The Desperate Housewives star served 11 days in prison after she admitted her part in a plot to doctor her daughter’s exam results. 

Later, when Hanks took the stage he vented: “We remember when Ricky Gervais was a slightly chubby but very kind comedian – neither of which he is now.”

The comedian addressed the response in the podcast Stuff of Legends with Chris O’Connell, which aired last month. 

Gervais said: “The big meme was Tom Hanks going, ‘Why is he saying that?’ and people were going, ‘Oh, you know, look he’s on his high horse!’”

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Gervais felt that the celebrities who laughed at jokes made about them were rewarded with “a round of applause” because the public do not “want people to be above it”.

He continued: “We even let people be privileged as long as they say like ‘I know I’m privileged but I’m nothing really’. 

“We don’t like people to go, ‘I deserve it, how dare you? How dare you talk to me like that?’

“If we sense that, if we really think these people believe their own hype we want to bring them down a peg or two and I think that’s totally natural.

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