Ricky Gervais Jokes About Sick Children, And Here Comes Cancel Culture With Its Latest Attack | Christian Toto

Comedian Ricky Gervais laughs in the face of Cancel Culture. Literally.

The “Office” alum routinely mocks the woke brigade, thumbing his nose at it via social media and outlandish routines in specials like “Ricky Gervais: SuperNature.” That Netflix showcase doubled down on the trans material Dave Chappelle shared on his own 2021 Netflix special, “The Closer.”

Earlier this year, Gervais slammed “sensitivity readers” who censored some Roald Dahl classics to make them less triggering.

“This is me pondering whether they'll change any of the words I've used in my work after I'm dead, to spare those who are fragile and easily offended.

He then proceeded to share some of the most contentious curse words in the English language.

The wokes hate him for fighting back and refusing to back down. Now, they’re targeting him anew, and they’re joined by well-meaning people offended by some blistering Gervais barbs. 

The comic’s upcoming Netflix special finds him sharing how he makes videos for very sick children via the Make-A-Wish organization. He does so only by request, he notes.

“Only if they request it, obviously. I don’t burst into hospitals and go, ‘Wake up, baldy. Look at me twerking on TikTok.’”

Gervais teased the clip on his Instagram account.

He even asks children why they didn’t wish to get better before requesting a video with the British superstar.

“What, you f***ing retarded as well?”

Except, in reality, he does no such thing. He’s … joking. You see, Gervais is a comedian and he’s playing a variation of himself on stage, a shallow jerk without a filter. That’s what comedians have done for decades.

Like it? Hate it? Disgusted by it? All reactions are perfectly fine. Just don’t try to silence him.

Except that’s precisely what some hope happens.

A parent with a terminally ill child launched a petition to force Netflix to remove the bit in question before the special’s Dec. 25 release. Social media followers excoriated Gervais on Instagram where he posted the snippet.

It’s understandable that anyone who suffered the loss of a child would flinch at the jokes. That kind of loss is incalculable and merely evoking the topic could be painful.

The same could be said about a comedian riffing on being drunk. Many families are directly impacted by alcoholism. Some have lost loved ones who couldn’t conquer their addictions. That pain must be harrowing, too.

Should we ban drinking gags from stand-up stages across the globe? Can you imagine how many stand-up routines would be censored as a result? What about film comedies? Social media memes?

By this argument, virtually any topic would be off limits.

Let’s not forget the context behind Gervais’ crude jokes. Yes, sometimes context does matter despite how those three Ivy League presidents tortured the word beyond recognition.

The quip in question makes him the target of the terrible humor, not any sick child. He’s saying he’s such a he’s willing to insult a terminally ill kid because he lacks anything approaching common decency.

The joke is on him, by design.

This isn’t just a case of wokesters trying to silence free speech. Some people feel genuine discomfort hearing Gervais evoke children who tragically may not live long enough to see adulthood.

And, for others, that kind of gallows humor might be a relief from the pain, a distraction from the awful truth.

Plus, the real Ricky Gervais is using his talents to brighten the lives of very sick children with humor. That's a tangible good.

For some, comedy is the best way to process pain. It’s why soldiers employ such dark humor in and out of battle. Or how Mel Brooks mocked the Nazis in “The Producers,” turning the tables on the death merchants by making them look foolish and pathetic.

Gervais’s shtick isn’t for everyone. He insults celebrities, people of faith and other targets, and he does so without a care for the audience’s sensibilities.

You know exactly what you get with a Gervais performance. And he should be allowed to keep cracking wise without people demanding they censor his creative process.

If he starts playing to near-empty arenas, he’ll know he’s gone too far.