Ricky Gervais, the co-creator of the U.K. version of ‘The Office’, is finally addressing the slap heard ’round the world.
People were waiting for Gervais to comment on the incident, considering he is known as one of the most brutal hosts in awards history. He would straight up roast celebrities at the Golden Globes, and yet, no one ever jumped the stage to slap him.
During a live Twitter Q&A, the 60-year-old comedian/actor said you should never hit someone over a joke, no matter how bad it is. But he notes, the joke Chris Rock made wasn’t even that bad.
That was like the tamest joke I would ever have told. Someone said it was joking about her disability. Well, I’m going a bit thin, so I’m disabled. That means I can park right up next to [British supermarket] Tesco now. And I’m fat. That’s a disease, isn’t it? I’m fat and balding. I should get f**king benefits.
Of course, Twitter did NOT like this. They slammed Gervais for mocking alopecia. And while Gervais is an asshole, he’s an asshole with a point.
No one should go out of their way to mock someone. I mean, why would you want to make someone feel bad?
That being said, the internet has gone so far in the other direction that it’s honestly a little concerning. Humor helps people get through bad times. We often make jokes during our most miserable moments because it eases the pain.
If we lose the ability to laugh at ourselves… then I don’t know. Future looks bleak. There’s a middle ground we need to land on.
