The 2017 Golden Globe Awards have announced their host, and it’s pretty much the opposite of Ricky Gervais. Indeed, Jimmy Fallon will be hosting the Golden Globe Awards for the first time this coming January, marking the first “new” host for the awards show since 2013. The show eschewed hosts for a long spell throughout the 90s and early 2000s, but Gervais came aboard as host in 2010 in an effort to shake things up, instantly making the show at least 50% more watchable. Gervais’ no-holds-barred comedy fit right in with the booze-infused mood of the ceremony, returning to host in 2011 and 2012, and then in 2013 the awards show scored a coup by landing Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as dual hosts for the next three years. While not as “offensive” as Gervais, Fey and Poehler certainly had a spot-on comedic attitude that lambasted the ridiculousness of the ceremony and celebrity culture in general.

And now, Fallon. Fey and Poehler announced their intention to stop hosting after the 2015 ceremony, and so NBC and the Golden Globes have settled on the amiable Tonight Show host to take over the duties. Fallon is unendingly nice, but attitude and/or cynicism is not his cup of tea. Instead, Fallon takes on a more silly and fun-loving demeanor, and I’ll be curious to see how that fits in with the Globes. Fallon did a tremendous job hosting the Emmys a while back, but the Golden Globes are a different beast. The awards themselves are entirely meaningless, and the close-quarters atmosphere and open bar lead to much more of a party dynamic instead of a prestige awards show. Which could very well end up being a good fit for Fallon.


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Image via NBC

However, the Golden Globes could carry an extra air of importance this year. For the past few years, Oscar nominations voting has closed before the Golden Globes announce their winners, meaning the Golden Globes list of winners had exactly zero bearing on the Oscar nominee choices. However, this year the Academy has opted to extend the Oscar voting period, which means nominations voting will still be open when the Golden Globes ceremony airs. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association still can’t shake its air of corruption and celebrity googly eyes, but merely seeing certain Oscar players take the stage and offer acceptance speeches a full five days before Oscar ballots are due could make an impact.

What do you think, folks? Is Fallon a good choice to act as master of ceremonies for the Golden Globes? Sound off in the comments below. The 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards airs on NBC on Sunday, January 8th.