Gervais: Critics of joke in new special are ‘hecklers’
A petition urging Netflix to remove a controversial section from Ricky Gervais’ new comedy special has garnered more than 12,000 signatures — but the standup comedian says it’s “just noise.”
The section in question was previewed in a Nov. 27 teaser for “Armageddon” – streaming on Christmas
Day – in which the Emmyand BAFTA-winning comedian delivers a joke about his work with the Make-AWish Foundation.
Anna Miller, creator of the Change.org petition and a parent whose child has battled cancer, was not amused. She believes Gervais’ bit is “not only unfunny but deeply offensive.”
“I can’t comprehend how a writer or anyone at Netflix could greenlight such appalling content,” she wrote on the petition page, which launched Nov. 30. “We must demand the removal of this skit. Gervais has provoked the anger of parents living with their child diagnosed with cancer, and we won’t back down in fiercely advocating for them. He completely crossed the line. Our children are not a punchline, their lives aren’t a joke.”
Gervais defended the sketch on air with BBC Radio 5 Live’s Nihal Arthanayake,
labeling those taking offense as “hecklers.”
“If I’m playing to 20,000 people, I wouldn’t stop the show and explain to them. I ignore them,” he said. Gervais also noted that on social media, people can “hide behind this fake ID” and “95% of it is faux offense.”
“You’ve got to ignore it all… it’s just noise,” he said.
The acerbic comic went on to call offending people an “occupational hazard” for comedians, referencing previous controversies surrounding his 2022 special “SuperNature” – that audiences criticized for its jokes about trans people – and his 2020 Golden Globes opening roast.