Ricky Gervais
- 63 years old
- English
- Actor, writer, director, executive producer and stand-up comedian
Press clippings Page 12
Comedy is our weapon against woke absurdity
Despite the predictable outrage of trans activists, Ricky Gervais's tirade is funny because it's true.
Joanna Williams, The Times, 27th May 2022Robin Ince: A Waste of Offence
I have known Ricky Gervais for almost 30 years. I have toured with him, written with him and been the bearer of the brunt of the practical jokes required to alleviate him of his tour boredom (hung up on coat racks, buried on beaches, covered in make up)... Anti trans punchlines seem to have become highly profitable and it ignores the dehumanising effect on a swathe of already marginalised people. I think Ricky believes it is just him being a "naughty boy". I believe it makes him a pin up and role model for the alt right (which is sadly just the mainstream right nowadays) and, whether he likes it or not, a useful ally in the culture war.
Robin Ince's Blog, 26th May 2022The increasing importance of trans-skeptical comedy
Now that sex-based rights are countercultural, they need all the help they can get.
Madeleine Kearns, National Review, 26th May 2022Comedy isn't cosy or comfortable - don't try to cancel Ricky Gervais
I watched Gervais's Netflix special. It didn't seem to me that he was mocking trans people. He was actually making a pointed and funny observation about our evolving concept of what the definition of a woman is. The joke, in other words, was on us. That's why Gervais is different from comedians from the Seventies and Eighties such as Bernard Manning and Jim Davidson, whose comedy felt laced with genuine bigotry.
Sarfraz Manzoor, Evening Standard, 26th May 2022How Ricky Gervais's pop star past explains the spiralling quality of his comedy
Controversial but boring, SuperNature plays all the old stuff.
Tom Nicholson, Esquire, 26th May 2022With Ricky Gervais's new special, Netflix yet again suffers transphobic fools
Does Netflix even care that Ricky Gervais's SuperNature is rife with transphobic TERF ideology?
Aja Romano, Vox, 26th May 2022Ricky Gervais' SuperNature is him chucking a massive tantrum
Ricky Gervais is copping a lot of flak for his offensive "jokes" in his comedy special but what's really going is even more odious.
Wenlei Ma, Australian Daily Telegraph, 26th May 2022Elon Musk praises Ricky Gervais's new anti-woke standup special
Ricky Gervias received high praise for his new Netflix special Ricky Gervais: SuperNature, from Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday.
The Post Millennial, 26th May 2022The difference between Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais
Both comedians have caused a stir for telling transphobic jokes in recent Netflix specials. One seems to be coming from a place of deeply felt personal resentment - while the other just seems desperate to stay relevant.
Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 26th May 2022Ricky Gervais's new comedy special is 'a flabby hour, so disjointed and meandering'
While I appreciate the motivation for his sermons on the intricacies of offence and the dangers of too much censorship, I sometimes wish he'd stick to the genuinely funny, less gratuitously offensive stuff.
Ian Hyland, The Mirror, 26th May 2022