Ricky Gervais addresses petition to cut jokes from new special: 'They're hecklers'
The petition takes issue with a joke about terminally ill children.
Ricky Gervais' new stand-up special, Ricky Gervais: Armageddon, has not even been released, and it's already stirring up controversy.
A teaser released by Gervais shows the The Office creator joking about terminally ill children, referring to them as "baldy" and using the R-slur. That tease has prompted nearly 13,000 people to sign a petition demanding that Netflix remove the joke from the special, scheduled for a Dec. 25 release.
During the joke, Gervais talks about doing videos for the Make-A-Wish Foundation when he used the slur. He follows the joke by telling the audience, "These are all jokes, all right? I don't even use that word in real life, the R-word... I'm playing a role."
Matt Crockett/Netflix
Ricky GervaisHe said that his use of the slur may have seemed "convincing," but, "I'm good." He compared outrage at his use of the word to someone watching Silence of the Lambs and then asking Anthony Hopkins if he's a cannibal.
Gervais addressed the joke in detail on BBC Radio 5 Live's Headliners podcast with Nihal Arthanayake. "I can play to a million people; I won't get a complaint," he said. "As soon as it goes on Netflix or as soon as someone writes up a joke that says this is offensive, people go, 'Oh, that's offensive.' They haven't even heard the joke. They weren't there. Ignore them. They don't count. They have no effect on me. They don't count. They're hecklers."
The petition to have Netflix remove the joke is organized by Anna Villa, who says they are petitioning as "a parent whose child bravely battled cancer."
Villa writes that Gervais' joke "is not just disrespectful but also deeply hurtful. It mocks the courage and resilience of these young fighters, who face their illness with grace and beauty despite their baldness." They go on to call the jokes "heartless" and "a slap in the face to not only the children battling these serious illnesses but also their parents and families who stand by them through this difficult journey."
In the BBC interview, Gervais said that offending people is an "occupational hazard."
"They just want a reaction... Being ignored has the same psychological effect as being slapped in the face. So, I really, really enjoy ignoring people," Gervais said.
In this show, I talk about sex, death, paedophilia, race, religion, disability, free speech, global warming, the holocaust, and Elton John. If you don’t approve of jokes about any of these things, then please don’t watch. You wont enjoy it and you’ll get upset. pic.twitter.com/kYXBlZRggW
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) December 19, 2023
Gervais has faced similar criticism of past Netflix specials, including SuperNature, which was criticized for mocking trans people.
"Some people think that a joke is a window to the comedian's true soul," Gervais told the BBC. "It's just not true. It's a joke."
Gervais offered something of a content warning on X, formerly known as Twitter, this week. "In this show, I talk about sex, death, paedophilia, race, religion, disability, free speech, global warming, the holocaust, and Elton John," he wrote. "If you don’t approve of jokes about any of these things, then please don’t watch. You won't enjoy it and you’ll get upset."
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