Ricky Gervais has a message for those who don’t get his humor. The comedian has finally addressed a petition that was launched to remove a controversial joke from his upcoming Netflix comedy special, Armageddon, airing on Christmas Day.
The joke being objected to stems from Gervais allegedly being busy making videos for terminally ill children for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Gervais claims he doesn’t burst into hospitals and go, ‘Wake up, baldy.’”
He then added that he starts his videos to the children by saying: “Why didn’t you wish to get better? What, you fucking ret**ed as well?”
Outrage ensued.
Gervais spoke on BBC Radio 5 Live about the issue: “I’m literally saying in the joke that I don’t do that. But people have a reaction. They don’t analyze it. They feel something – that’s what offense is. It’s a feeling. That’s why ‘I’m offended’ is quite meaningless. What do you want me to change?”
He then shared that he believes “99 per cent of it” to be “faux offense.”
“They’re not really offended. They just want to be heard.
“Of all the millions of people that watched it and loved it, only a few don’t like it,” he added. “If I give them special attention and try and placate them, I’ve annoyed the other millions of people that got the joke. They go, ‘No, you’ve ruined it for us!’”
“I’ve got a duty to the people that like it and get it. I wouldn’t sit down with a heckler would I? If I’m playing to 20,000 people, I wouldn’t stop the show and explain to them. I ignore them.”
