Railing against cancel culture is practically Ricky Gervais’ calling card at this point, and he didn’t disappoint during a recent interview where he blasted Twitter outrage for costing people their careers. While sitting down with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett for their SmartLess podcast, Gervais unloaded on how the popular social media site has elevated mass voices that the British comedian argues shouldn’t be elevated. Via Mediaite:
Gervais went on to describe cancel culture as a form of “road rage,” adding, “It’s things happening too fast that you can’t take back. People dig in and people want to be heard. People want to feel they have an effect. It’s why people heckle a comedian. They want to feel they were there. Now people are heard.”
Gervais also blasted the validity of Twitter backlash and the way it can result in a person being canceled. “An idiot stands next to a genius on Twitter and it looks the same,” he noted. “It’s the same font.”
While the existence of cancel culture is hotly debated, and it’s no secret which side of the argument that Gervais sits on, he did offer some nuance on the controversial subject. The comedian agreed that criticism is valid and people have a right to not support an entertainer — to a point. “They’re allowed to not buy your things. They’re allowed to burn your DVDs and they’re allowed to turn the telly off,” Gervais said. “What they’re not allowed to do is to bully other people into not going to see you.”
As for being cancelled himself, Gervais isn’t at all concerned and has a back-up plan if necessary. “Who’s gonna cancel me? Twitter? YouTube? If I have to, I’ll go to Hyde Park and stand up on a bench and shout sh*t.”