Ricky Gervais Responds To Outrage Over 'Dangerous' Anti-Trans Jokes In Netflix Comedy Special
- By
- Carlos Santoscoy
- | May 26, 2022
British actor-comedian Ricky Gervais has responded to outrage over jokes he makes in his new Netflix comedy special.
GLAAD has labeled the jokes in Gervais' SuperNature as “anti-trans” and “dangerous.”
“We watched the Ricky Gervais 'comedy' special on Netflix so you don't have to,” GLAAD said in a tweet. “It's full of graphic, dangerous, anti-trans rants masquerading as jokes. He also spouts anti-gay rhetoric & spreads inaccurate information about HIV.”
“Netflix has a policy that content 'designed to incite hate or violence' is not allowed on their platform, but we all know that anti-LGBTQ content does exactly that. While Netflix is home to some groundbreaking LGBTQ shows, it refuses to enforce its own policy in comedy.”
“Comedians who spew hate in place of humor, and the media companies who give them a platform, will be held accountable. Meanwhile, there are PLENTY of funny LGBTQ comedians to support,” the group added.
Speaking with the BBC, Gervais responded to the criticism, saying that comedy is a way of getting “us over taboo subjects.”
“I think that's what comedy is for, really – to get us through stuff,” he said. “And I deal in taboo subjects because I want to take the audience to a place it hasn't been before, even for a split second. Most offense comes from when people mistake the subject of a joke with the actual target.”
In SuperNature, Gervais says that he loves “the new women.” “They're great, aren't they? The new ones we've been seeing lately. The ones with beards and cocks. They’re as good as gold, I love them. And now the old-fashioned ones say, ‘Oh, they want to use our toilets.’ ‘Why shouldn’t they use your toilets?’ ‘For ladies!’ ‘They are ladies – look at their pronouns! What about this person isn’t a lady?’ ‘Well, his penis.’ ‘Her penis, you fucking bigot!’ ‘What if he rapes me?’ ‘What if she rapes you, you fucking TERF [Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist] whore?’”
Later in the stand-up special, Gervais insists that he's not opposed to transgender women. “Full disclosure, In real life, of course, I support trans rights,” he said. “But meet me halfway, ladies: Lose the cock. That's all I'm saying.”
Gervais also joked about HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, which initially hit gay and bisexual men the hardest. “That's not as good as it was, AIDS. … In its heyday, it was fucking amazing, wasn't it, AIDS?”
Netflix has not commented on the controversy surrounding Gervais' comedy special.