Ricky Gervais received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday and while accepting the honor, he nearly risked getting canceled with an edgy speech.
The 63-year-old comedian stirred up controversy again as he toed the line on making a joke about another subject many have deemed too taboo to joke about — sexual assault accusations.
He made a joke about being grateful to join some of the famous (or infamous) legends memorialized with a star in Hollywood as he named Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby and Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle — all of whom have faced accusations of sexual assault.
'Thank you so much for this honor. It's a genuine thrill to be part of such an exclusive club,' Gervais said during his speech, per Variety.
'And just looking around earlier at all the other stars, absolute icons, you know? Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, Fatty Arbuckle.'
All three went to trial for their alleged crimes but only Cosby was convicted while the King of Pop and Arbuckle were acquitted.
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'Wow, this is a huge surprise,' he joked as he began his speech. 'I never thought I'd win this today.'
As he unfolded a piece of paper, he added: 'I haven't even prepared a speech or anything.'
'I should firstly apologize for how I'm dressed. This isn't me trying to be cool or disrespectful to the establishment. This is me not having a suit that fits anymore,' he joked in his speech.
He later joked about how his job is to be 'not very good at taking things too seriously' and delivered his controversial punchline at a moment when he said he was 'going to try and be serious.'
Gervais is no stranger to making controversial, profanity-laden jokes and often faces backlash for his 'offensive' comedy.
The actor, who was also a co-creator of British TV sitcoms like The Office and Extras, previously stirred controversy with his 'offensive' jokes when he hosted the Golden Globe Awards five times — consecutively from 2010 through 2012, then again in 2016 and 2020.
Though he did not return for this year's ceremony, he did share some of the shocking jokes he would have told if the 82nd Golden Globes was hosted by him instead of fellow comedian Nikki Glaser.
For her first time Golden Globes hosting gig, Glaser even made a joke about Gervais during her monologue when she said she was 'not gonna go so hard that anyone's gonna be offended.'
Meanwhile, Gervais had shared a video of some of his jokes ahead of the award ceremony as he said, 'It's been a pretty good year for material.'
He roasted Sean 'Diddy' Combs, joked about Justin Timberlake's DWI arrest and also showed off more of his caustic wit as he wisecracked about Hollywood's 'pedo ring' and The Vatican.
His hosting gigs have always drawn mixed reactions as some of his wildest Golden Globe jokes included roasting Leonardo DiCaprio for the age gap between him and the women he dates as well as offending Caitlyn Jenner by using her deadname.
He also joked about Bird Box and working for Harvey Weinstein as well as the litany of celebrities who have undergone plastic surgery transformations.
Some of his most controversial and offensive jokes have been slammed for being 'homophobic' and 'anti-transgender rhetoric.'
A couple years ago, his new Netflix special drew criticism and even saw the creation of a petition to remove his caustic jokes on taboo subjects.
He faced significant backlash for joking about terminally ill children in Armageddon, referring to them as 'baldy' and using the R-slur in his stand-up show.
More than 12,000 people signed a petition demanding Netflix remove the jokes in late 2023 before Gervais broke his silence to defend himself and his humor.
In an interview with Nihal Arthanayake on BBC Radio 5 Live's Headliners podcast, he called out the 'faux' outrage against him and compared the petitioners to 'hecklers.'
In his Netflix comedy special, he immediately said to the audience after making the controversial joke: 'These are all jokes, all right? I don't even use that word in real life — the R-word. I'm playing a role.'
During his podcast appearance two years ago, Gervais said: 'I can play to a million people. I won't get a complaint. 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.'
He also ceded that offending people is an 'occupational hazard' for a comedian but also said he chooses to ignore the 'heckling' on social media.
'They're allowed to hate it. They're allowed to not come to the show, but it's not going to stop me doing what I love, and I'm not going to stop it at the expense of all the other people who love it. No one has to watch this.'
