Comedian Ricky Gervais has finally addressed a long-running “myth” about his comedy shows – insisting he never sets out to deliberately “offend” his audiences.
Ricky Gervais never sets out to deliberately “offend” his audiences.
The 65-year-old comedian is known for his controversial gags in his stand-up shows and he has now finally addressed the long-running “myth” which suggested he chooses material he knows will make some people angry – declaring he doesn’t “care” if some audience members get riled up by his jokes.
During an appearance on BBC Radio 2, Ricky explained: “I don’t tell people not to be offended; I tell them I don’t care if they are. Be offended if you want, it makes it funnier for me.
“You can’t help by what you’re offended by, but … don’t expect me to care … It’s a myth that I go out to offend. I never go out to offend. I just know that it’s probably going to happen because everyone’s different.”
Ricky added: “There’s nothing you can say, particularly anything that’s mildly interesting or contentious or your viewpoint, that someone somewhere won’t find offensive.
“And times have changed. Twenty years ago, if someone said I was offended by that, I probably would go: ‘Why?’ Now I go … ‘I know you are. Everyone is’.”
Ricky went on to insist he’s going to be changing his style for his next tour – vowing not to address topics such as cancel culture or freedom of speech in his new shows.
He said: “I’ve dealt with it too much, actually. I think the last couple of tours, I have dealt with cancel culture and free speech because I felt I had to. Now, I don’t have to.
“I’m ignoring it all. I shouldn’t even bring it into the room. Those people there who’ve paid hundreds of pounds – they’re not offended. I can play to a million people, not one complaint.
“As soon as it goes on Netflix, 50 million people. Of course, there’s going to be someone who doesn’t like it. What am I going to do? It’s too late. I’ve been paid.”
Ricky found fame as the co-creator, co-writer and star the British version of hit sitcom The Office, but he previously insisted the show wouldn’t get made today because it would be deemed too offensive.
He told Times Radio: “Now it would suffer because people would take things literally. There are these outrage mobs who take things out of context.
“This was a show about everything – it was about difference, it was about sex, race, all the things that people fear to even be discussed or talked about now, in case they say the wrong thing and they are cancelled …
He added: “The BBC have got more and more careful, people want to keep their jobs, so would worry about some of the subjects and jokes, even though they were clearly ironic and we were laughing at this buffoon being uncomfortable around difference.
“I think if this was put out now, some people have lost their sense of irony and context.”
Ricky Gervais finally addresses long-running ‘myth’ about his comedy shows
