Ricky Gervais Under Fire For Transphobic Tweets He Claims Were Jokes

By Anita Bennett, Deadline
Published Dec. 22, 2019, 9:15 a.m. ET

Just two weeks before he’s scheduled to return as host of the Golden Globes, Ricky Gervais has been caught up in a social media storm.

The British comedian drew fire from the transgender community Saturday after he posted a series of tweets in response to J.K. Rowling’s support of Maya Forstater, a researcher who was fired for tweeting that a person cannot change their biological sex.

The Gervais brouhaha started this morning, when he tweeted a reply to satire account @JarvisDupont, which is known for mocking PC culture, and white privilege.

“Those awful biological women can never understand what it must be like for you becoming a lovely lady so late in life. They take their girly privileges for granted. Winning at female sports and having their own toilets. Well, enough is enough,” Gervais tweeted.

The comic continued to reply to Twitter users, including one who urged him to dial it down because “kindness is magic.”

Gervais replied, “Exactly. We need to protect the rights of women. Not erode them because some men have found a new cunning way to dominate and demonize an entire sex.”

The outspoken comedian replied to another Twitter user by saying he was just joking.

“He hasn’t even realised I’m playing along with a spoof account,” Gervais tweeted.

Someone else asked him to clarify, writing: “So are you telling a joke or taking a stance? Cause if it was a joke it fell flat.”

Always ready with a witty response, the comedian fired back: “That’s why it was free.”

NBC, which is airing the Golden Globes, had no comment.