Ready to ring in the new year, actor and comedian Ricky Gervais took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a selfie with a toothless grin.
The post features Gervais smiling with missing teeth. “Happy New Year,” he wrote in the post.
The snapshot comes just days after Ricky Gervais’ new Armageddon comedy special premiered on Netflix. Gervais also stated that his Armageddon tour was his favorite so far. “Thanks to everyone who bought a ticket and to everyone who tried,” he wrote on X. “You helped me break world records and raise millions for animal charities. Watch it on Netflix from December 25th. Merry Christmas.”
Gervais also issued a “content warning” for those planning to watch the special. “In this show, I talk about sex, death, [pedophilia], race, religion, disability, free speech, global warming, the Holocaust, and Elton John,” Gervais wrote. “If you don’t approve of jokes about any of these things, then please don’t watch. You won’t enjoy it and you’ll get upset.”
Ricky Gervais Causes Controversy with a Joke Mocking Terminally Ill Children
However, the show has made headlines over a controversial joke. During the show, Ricky Gervais made a joke about terminally ill children. He referred to them as both baldly and the R-slur. The joke sparked a Change.org petition, Demand Netflix to Remove Ricky Gervais’s Offensive Skit Mocking Terminally Ill Children.
“Ricky Gervais’s jokes were not only distasteful but also heartless,” the petition reads. “They are a slap in the face to not only the children battling these serious illnesses but also their parents and families who stand by them through this difficult journey. His words have offended an entire community – those dealing with childhood cancer.”
More than 13,400 people have added their signatures to the petition since its launch. However, Gervais did address the situation. He referred to the situation as “faux” outrage and compared those who signed the petition as “hecklers.”
“I can play to a million people, I won’t get a complaint,” Gervais told Nihal Arthanayake during his recent appearance on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Headliners podcast. “As soon as it goes on Netflix or as soon as someone writes up a joke that says this is offensive, people go, ‘Oh, that’s offensive.’ They haven’t even heard the joke. They weren’t there. Ignore them. They don’t count. They have no effect on me. They don’t count. They’re hecklers.”
Gervais also said that offending others with jokes is an “occupational hazard” for comedians. “They just want a reaction,” he said about the petitioners. “Being ignored has the same psychological effect as being slapped in the face. So I really, really enjoy ignoring people.”