Associated Press
Los Angeles Times (TNS)
LOS ANGELES – The third time may be the charm, but it will also be the end for Golden Globes co-hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey.
The comedic duo who emceed the 2013 and 2014 Globes to rave reviews and strong ratings are returning for one more installment Jan. 11, but after that they’ll hang it up, Poehler told the “Today” show Tuesday morning.
“It’s (the) law of diminishing returns, which is why this is our last time,” Poehler saidwhile promoting her new book, “Yes, Please.” “Unless you want to be a perennial host, there’s nowhere to go but down.”
She added, “It’ll be like our farewell tour,” then joked that she and Fey could also “be like the Jay-Z of the Globes and never retire.”
The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. and Dick Clark Productions, which oversee and produce the ceremony, will have their work cut out finding a replacement for Poehler and Fey, whose witty banter and just-edgy-enough jokes have been well received by critics and audiences alike.
Last year, their debut as Globes hosts was hailed as one of the stronger podium performances in recent memory, drawing 19.7 million viewers, the show’s highest ratings since 2007. On the success of that outing, Poehler and Fey signed a two-year hosting deal, and their sophomore show in January boosted viewership to 20.9 million.
Fey and Poehler have long been in business with NBC, with Poehler’s “Parks & Recreation” set to begin its final season and Fey soon returning to the network with “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” Both those shows will premiere mid-season, offering plenty of cross-promotional opportunities with the Globes.
Before Fey and Poehler, the Globes were hosted by Ricky Gervais for three years; before that the show went without a host for many years.
The 2015 Golden Globe Awards will once again air live on NBC from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, from 5 to 8 p.m. Pacific time.
