Ricky Gervais is not unfamiliar to reactions as a comic with a darker side, but fans are outraged about his recent comments in which he mocks his own age.
The Office star was attacked on X – previously Twitter – after revealing his successful tour Armageddon would be coming to Netflix on Christmas Day.
‘Happy Birthday, Jesus!’ he wrote to which a fan asked: ‘Is it suitable to watch with my Nan and Gramp on Christmas Day?’
In response to the question, Ricky joked: ‘Depends. Do they enjoy watching a middle age man swearing, joking about the holocaust and pretending to w*** off a paedophile?’
People took issue with his labelling himself ‘middle aged’ rather than his Holocaust and paedophile remarks.
Ricky is 62 years old, which many fans felt doesn’t qualify as middle aged – and told him as much.
‘Calling yourself middle aged at 62 is a bit of a stretch,’ replied one user as another wrote: ‘Sir you are a pensioner.’
A third scathed: ‘You consider yourself middle age? That’s funny.’
Ricky was called ‘brave’ by someone else while numerous fans were just shocked to learn he wasn’t in his mid 40s.
Fans clearly regard Derek as trapped in time, as he was 40 when he featured in the blockbuster sitcom The Office in 2004.
In the original version of the popular sitcom, he portrayed David Brent, and the later US version became one of the few successful translations of British series.
‘Mental that he’s 62,’ wrote one fan as someone else added: ‘I thought this guy was like 45, 62 is crazy.’
‘Wow he looks good for his age,’ complimented another.
One helpful user answered with the definition of “middle aged,” which includes everyone between the ages of 45 and 65, confirming Ricky correct.
The superstar has just completed his massive tour, smashing records on his Canadian leg when he played to 20,000 fans at the sold-out Scotiabank Arena in Toronto in August.
He was the first British comic to do so, and he did it just months after setting a Guinness World Record for the most lucrative single night of stand-up comedy.
Ricky earned £1.4 million for his Hollywood Bowl performance in California, bringing his net worth to a stunning £132 million.
