Ricky Gervais says ‘smart people’ can deal with irony: ‘Real life is worse’
‘People get offended when they mistake the subject of the joke with the actual target,’ Gervais said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ricky Gervais discussed irony and why some people find his humour offensive during a Tuesday (17 May) night appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to promote his new Netflix special, SuperNature.
Gervais, who is known for his provocative comedy material, has now made several comments about the joke made by Chris Rock at the Oscars in March, which led to him being slapped on stage by Will Smith.
“People get offended when they mistake the subject of the joke with the actual target and smart people know you can deal with anything, particularly when dealing with something like irony,”The Office creator told Colbert. He had previously noted that the subjects he covers in his stand-up include “famine, AIDS, Cancer, Hitler” – “those dudes are evergreen”, he said.
Gervais went on to say that he explains the concept of irony at the beginning of his new show, “just to warn them and then they get it”.
“Humour gets us over bad stuff,” Gervais said. “That’s why I laugh about terrifying bad things. You know, that’s why comedians are obsessed with death because, you know, it gets us through... it’s an inoculation to the real things that are going to happen.”
Gervais previously defended Rock, who had made a joke at the expense of Jada Pinkett-Smith’s baldness, causing the altercation with her husband.
“That was like the tamest joke I would’ve ever told,” Gervais wrote on Twitter after the event.
Later, responding to the Academy’s 10-year ban on Smith’s attendance at future Oscars ceremonies, Gervais tweeted: “Hopefully, he’ll only do six years with good behaviour.”
SuperNature is out on Netflix on 24 May.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments