Ricky Gervais Says That His Critics Are ‘Addicted to Being Offended’

While Ricky Gervais obviously still has many loyal fans, others have pointed out he’s basically transformed into David Brent, the grating, tone-deaf manager he created for The Office.

Gervais’ recent stand-up specials have been chock-full of conspicuously button-pushing material, including the 2022 Netflix special SuperNature, which included jokes mocking trans women and a bit about the origin of HIV, all of which led to the special being condemned by GLAAD. “We watched the Ricky Gervais ‘comedy’ special on Netflix so you don’t have to,” the organization said in a statement at the time. “It’s full of graphic, dangerous, anti-trans rants masquerading as jokes. He also spouts anti-gay rhetoric and spreads inaccurate information about HIV.”

He was similarly blasted for using the r-word “ableist slur” during a controversial routine about pediatric cancer from 2023’s Armageddon, which even inspired a Change.org petition imploring Netflix to remove the bit from the special altogether. 

In a new interview with The Los Angeles Times, Gervais defended his material, and lashed out at his critics. “There’s always a point to it,” Gervais said of his act. “Offense often comes from people mistaking the subject of a joke with the actual target, and they’re not usually the same.”

Gervais conceded that he brings up certain “taboo subjects” on purpose, because he wants to “take the audience to a place they haven’t been before,” likening the experience to a guided walk “through a scary forest” where everything is okay “because they always laugh.” He also claimed that his comedy is “a magic trick. It is a formula. You can’t argue with chemistry,” adding, “No one goes, well, I know I laughed, but I don’t agree with it.”

The problem with this defense is that clearly not everyone is laughing. Since these specials are filmed and distributed by Netflix, shouldn’t streaming viewers, even the displeased ones, also be counted as part of Gervais’ audience? 

The Extras star also suggested that no one has truly been offended by these specials. “People sometimes seek out the offense and that’s actually where people can get addicted to being offended,” Gervais argued. “They like it, it makes them feel alive. The news even picks up Twitter! They say, ‘Oh, fans weren’t happy!’ Three fans weren’t happy.’”

To be fair, a lot more than three fans seem to have been unhappy with recent Gervais specials. Regardless of how you feel about the idea of Netflix retroactively censoring a comedy special, nearly 14,000 people signed that petition against Armageddon. And as for the suggestion that anyone who finds fault with Gervais’ comedy is “addicted to being offended,” it seems more obvious that Gervais is addicted to being offensive. 

The problem with a lot of these jokes aren’t that they tackle taboo subjects, it’s that they’re lazy, intentionally cruel and creatively inert. They’re specifically designed to offend, rather than make any kind of vaguely-interesting point. He punches down on vulnerable groups, but cloaks it in a semi-ironic delivery that allows him to justify these hack bits to himself, and seemingly cling to the idea that he’s still an edgy outsider rather than an out of touch multimillionaire. 

If people stopped being offended by Ricky Gervais, he would probably just fade out of existence like Tinker Bell if nobody claps.