British comedian Ricky Gervais has proven time and time again over the course of his career that he’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers with his comedy. With a new Netflix special Armageddon set to hit the streamer on Christmas Day, the actor and stand-up comedian is already stirring up controversy due to a joke about terminally ill children. Gervais was asked about the thousands of people petitioning Netflix to not air the special, and he had quite a bit to say.
The petition at change.org — which as of this writing has collected more than 12,000 signatures — accuses Ricky Gervais of “mocking terminally ill children” in Armageddon by calling them “baldy.” The comedian spoke to BBC’s Headliners podcast about those who said they were offended by the bit. Gervais argued:
I’m literally saying in the joke that I don’t do that… But [people have] a reaction. They don’t analyze it. They feel something; that’s what offense is. It’s a feeling. That’s why ‘I’m offended’ is quite meaningless, because what’s your argument? What do you want me to change?
In the skit in question, Ricky Gervais said he tells the audience he’s been doing a lot of video messages with terminally ill children. “But only if they request it,” he says. “I don’t burst into hospitals and go, ‘Wake up…” That’s apparently the point where he uses the word the petitioners took issue with.
Ricky Gervais went on in the interview to explain why he thinks it’s hypocritical of people to take issue with just one specific sketch, saying:
It’s hypocritical, because I do jokes about, let’s say, 100 terrible things, 100 taboo subjects. Why is it that every single person laughs at 99 of them and gets offended by the one? Because it’s their thing. They don’t care about the other 99 things.
The comedian had a lot to say in general about people getting offended by his jokes — particularly those who speak out about it on social media — saying most people aren’t actually offended, they “just want to be heard,” in the same way that hecklers yell out during his shows because they want to be noticed. Ricky Gervais said the best thing he can do is not give those people attention, telling the podcast host:
I can play to a million people, I won’t get a complaint. 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.
While the Armageddon joke has clearly struck a nerve with many people, it’s unlikely that Netflix will take action. The streamer’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos has addressed similar issues in the past regarding its standup specials. Specifically in regards to Ricky Gervais and Dave Chappelle, Sarandos defended their “free expression,” saying Netflix’s programming is aimed at “diverse people who have different opinions and different tastes.”
Ricky Gervais also acknowledged that he’s not for everyone, and he supported anyone who chose to not watch his comedy special or attend his shows, but he said the backlash isn’t going to stop him, saying on the podcast:
People are allowed to be offended, they’re allowed to hate it, they’re allowed to not come to the show. But it’s not going to stop me doing what I love, and I’m not going to stop it at the expense of all the other people who love it.
Armageddon will be available to stream on Monday, December 25, with a Netflix subscription, and be sure to check out what else is new and coming soon to Netflix.
