Before Ricky Gervais could get around to denying then confirming his return as host of the Golden Globes, Jimmy Fallon’s already secured the gig. This news comes from—where else?—the Television Critics Association summer press tour, which is currently in deep NBC mode. In addition to teasing the debut of The Good Place and the future of Blindspot, the broadcast network announced that Fallon would interrupt Gervais’ Globes streak in 2017. NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt outlined what makes Fallon right for the job:
This is the most spontaneous and uninhibited award show on television, and Jimmy’s playful, disarming comedic brilliance makes him the ideal host to enhance and elevate the sense of fun and irreverence that’s made the Golden Globes one of the premier events of the entire broadcast year.
Greenblatt didn’t mention whether Drinko or Frozen Blackjack would find their way into the ceremony, but we can probably expect intermittent giggle breaks, which will be made all the more frequent by the inherent “spontaneity” of the event. This will be Fallon’s first time hosting the Golden Globes, but he did do the honors at the Emmys in 2014. The Tonight Show host is also leading the late-night pack in ratings, for the most part, so he must be doing something right.
The 74th Annual Golden Globes will air live on NBC on January 8, 2017.