Ricky Gervais defends targeting trans communities - "I think I'm right"

In a recent interview on BBC’s This Cultural Life, host John Wilson challenged Ricky Gervais over his tendency to target marginalised communities, including trans people, in his stand-up. Gervais replied: “That’s probably true, but that’s because I think I’m right”. He further emphasised that “no subject should be off-limits” for comedians and that he “has a right to talk about those things.”

The 64-year‑old provocateur added: “I can’t look back and say, ‘Oh, sorry about that, I said that when I was only 50.’”

Gervais’s Netflix special SuperNature in 2022 drew strong criticism for jokes at the expense of trans individuals - including repeated references to genitalia. GLAAD branded the material “dangerous, anti-trans rants masquerading as jokes” and condemned its graphic content, also noting it spread misinformation about HIV.

GLAAD highlighted the contradiction in Gervais’s stance: though he professed support for trans rights - “Trans rights are human rights” - he followed with a controversial caveat: “But meet me halfway, ladies: lose the cock.”

Gervais defends his approach as a form of “taboo comedy,” meant to push audiences out of their comfort zones. In media interviews he likened punchlines on sensitive topics to parachute jumps - initially nerve-racking, but ultimately harmless once “you land”.

Critics, however, argue that targeting a community already subject to prejudice and violence cannot be excused as irony. They insist that such jokes reinforce stigma and have tangible real-world effects, emphasising that free expression must be balanced with empathy and responsibility.

Following broadcast of the interview, one social media critic described Gervais as “cruel, lacking empathy and, to be honest, not funny at all.”