Yahoo Movies Ricky Gervais anticipated backlash to new stand-up special: 'Everyone's gonna complain'
Comedian Ricky Gervais said in a recent interview that "there's nothing controversial" in his latest stand-up special, SuperNature, but he still predicted it would spark criticism. On Tuesday, his prediction came true when the special was released on Netflix and came under fire for jokes about trans women.
During an appearance on SiriusXM's Jim Norton & Sam Roberts show last week, the Office co-creator said of the special, "Everyone's gonna complain about everything in it. Every single line, someone is going to complain."
The topic came up when host Sam Roberts mentioned the Netflix internal memo earlier this month emphasizing the streamer's support of artistic expression, and stating that if employees "find it hard to support" content they find harmful, then "Netflix may not be the best place for you." The memo was widely seen as a response, at least in part, to the controversy sparked by Dave Chappelle's recent stand-up special.
Roberts said he had "a theory" that Netflix had taken "preemptive measures" ahead of Gervais' special because "100 percent the Netflix employees are gonna get mad again."
Netflix Ricky Gervais in 'SuperNature'
Gervais replied, "I don't know what to say, really. To me there's nothing controversial in that, because it's just jokes."
He added, "I even explain what irony is at the beginning of the f---ing show, and everyone there, I don't know how many people I played to — half a million people — no complaints. They laughed at all the things, right? But everyone's gonna complain about everything in it. Every single line, someone is going to complain, either because they hate it, they don't get it, it's coming after… Here's the thing about comedy: I can list 20 taboo subjects, everyone in the world laughs at 19 of them and hates the one that affects them."
Gervais comes out swinging in SuperNature, making jokes some have deemed transphobic, with references to rape and the ongoing debate over public restrooms, within the first few minutes.
"I love the new women," Gervais says at one point. "I know there are new women, they're great, aren't they? The new ones, the ones with beards and c---s. They're as good as gold, I love them."
While those are "just jokes" to Gervais, for members of the trans community such comments can represent the latest example of comedy in which their very existence is the punchline.
EW has reached out to representatives for Gervais and Netflix for comment on the controversy.
Speaking to Roberts' cohost Jim Norton, Gervais went on to blame the press for amplifying online outrage.
"Twenty years ago if you complained about something, you'd get a pen and paper and go, 'Dear BBC… Oh, can't be bothered.' Now they can fire off a tweet and the f---ing press pick up the tweet," he said. "And so, 'People are mad, said 69341…' No, no, no, most people aren't f---ing mad! Most people don't know about it."
Gervais, sounding not at all out of touch, concluded that the "only one way to do it" is to "ignore it all, do your special, get paid, buy a house, ignore it all."
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