Ricky Gervais Calls Joe Pesci "Baby Yoda" at Golden Globes

Star Wars: The Mandalorian's full first season on Disney+ didn't just give fans an exciting new [...]

Star Wars: The Mandalorian's full first season on Disney+ didn't just give fans an exciting new story in the iconic franchise. It also gave the world an adorable pop culture force with Baby Yoda, a big-eared, big-eyed baby of whatever species Master Yoda was. There have been endless memes featuring the cultural phenomenon that we all just can't get enough of and now Baby Yoda has made his mark on the Golden Globes. During host Ricky Gervais' opening during the ceremony tonight, Gervais jokingly misidentified The Irishman star Joe Pesci as the adorable little alien.

"We have some real legends at this table," Gervais said. "Martin Scorsese, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Baby Yoda... wait that's Joe Pesci. Please don't have me shot."

As one might guess, the joke lit up the internet within moments of broadcast, with even the popular, unofficial Baby Yoda Twitter account chiming in to remind people that "Joe Pesci I am not."

It was a pretty hilarious comparison, though the Baby Yoda joke wasn't the only thing Gervais had to say involving those involved with The Irishman. Gervais also cracked a joke about director Scorsese's controversial viral comments about Marvel movies. Late last year, Scorsese made headlines when he referred to Marvel Studios films as "not cinema," going so far as to compare them to theme parks. It's that comparison that Gervais capitalized on.

"Martin Scorsese, the greatest living director, made the news for his controversial comments about the Marvel franchise," Gervais said in his opening. "He said they're not real cinema, and they remind him of theme parks. I agree. Although I don't know what he's doing hanging around at theme parks -- he's not big enough to go on the rides. He's tiny."

The 77th Annual Golden Globes are taking place tonight at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. This year marks Gervais' record-setting fifth (and supposedly final) time hosting the awards which kicks off the Hollywood Awards season. For fans of comic book movies, the Golden Globes could be a big night for Joker, as in addition a few other nominations, the film has been nominated for Best Motion Picture - Drama. It pits the film against Sam Mendes' 1917, Scorsese's The Irishman, Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story, and Fernando Meirelles' The Two Popes. Nominees for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy include Taika Waititi's Jojo Rabbit, Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Rian Johnson's Knives Out, the Elton John biopic Rocketman, and the Eddie Murphy-led biopic Dolemite Is My Name.

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