Ricky Gervais has said that producers sometimes question his jokes, as “they don’t know whether it’s OK or not.”
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The comedian was reflecting on his career in a new interview with the LA Times, ahead of being honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today (May 30).
He was asked if he’s ever realised he would have to “defend” a joke, to which he responded: “Oh no, it all comes and goes. It’s cyclic,” he told the publication. “People get nervous and that’s just always been there from day one. People get worried and then I say, well, this is why it’s OK.”
Gervais revealed that sometimes the concern has come from colleagues in the industry. “Sometimes it’s an executive producer or a broadcaster who just wants some ammunition to defend it. Because sometimes, they don’t know whether it’s OK or not, they just don’t want to get complaints.
“If I can go “listen, this is why it’s OK,” then they often trust me because I can defend it. It’s not me sitting in the room going, “what’s the most offensive thing I could say to get the BBC burned down?” There’s always a point to it. Offence often comes from people mistaking the subject of a joke with the actual target, and they’re not usually the same.”
The actor then went on to reflect on the expectation for comedians to avoid being offensive. “We’re human, so we react to buzzwords and we’re cautious of taboo subjects. That’s why they’re still taboo, because we’re cautious of them,” he said. “I do that on purpose as well, particularly with my stand-up where I talk about contentious issues and taboo subjects because I do want to take the audience to a place they haven’t been before.
“I do want them to reflect on it, worry about it, think about it and then, I’ve got to misdirect them. It’s like I take them by the hand through a scary forest but it’s OK because they always laugh. If I were going out there and saying things that were really offensive, and no one was laughing, well, that would be odd. That’s what politicians do. Politicians say awful things and they mean it, and no one laughs. Comedians say things they don’t mean, everyone laughs and they get the same treatment.”
He continued: “But you have to have free speech, and there’s nothing you could say that someone somewhere won’t be offended by. It’s impossible, so you shouldn’t even try.
“I don’t go out there and try to ruin the audience’s evening, I go out there and I make a joke and it’s crafted. We’re human though and we take things personally, but you shouldn’t because I think comedy is best as an intellectual pursuit.”
Earlier this year, Gervais took to X to offer up some of the jokes he would have made if he were hosting the Golden Globe Awards, having previously hosted in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016 and 2020.
His plans included jokes about Justin Timberlake, who pleaded guilty to impaired driving in September, and the ongoing Diddy trial.
In other news, in March, Gervais debunked a rumour that he auditioned to replace Steve Carrell in The Office US. Last year, casting director Allison Jones revealed that Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti were in the running to play Scott before Carell.
Meanwhile, a new spin-off set in the same universe as The Office is in the works, which is set to star Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore. Reportedly titled The Paper, the series follows a struggling newspaper as its publisher attempts to revive it.
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