Ricky Gervais has slammed celebrity cancel culture after insisting that stars can no longer make jokes without receiving backlash.
The Afterlife star, 59, has claimed that people who challenge others for saying things they don’t agree with 'don’t agree with freedom of speech'.
Cancel culture is the practice of withdrawing support for or cancelling public figures or companies after doing something offensive or deemed as such.
Speaking to Metro, Ricky, who is known for his sarcastic and often caustic humour, defended his right to tell contentious jokes as a form of 'freedom of speech'.
The outspoken telly star claimed that everyone has a different definition of cancel culture, but ultimately, it all comes down to tearing a celebrity down from their pedestal.
"If it is choosing not to watch a comedian because you don’t like them, that’s everyone’s right. But when people are trying to get someone fired because they don’t like their opinion about something that’s nothing to do with their job, that’s what I call cancel culture and that’s not cool," he insisted.
"You turning off your own TV isn’t censorship. You trying to get other people to turn off their TV, because you don’t like something they’re watching, that’s different."
The controversial comedian made headlines last year after he hosted the Golden Globes.
It marked his fifth year fronting the ceremony, but Ricky faced harsh criticism after he unapologetically roasted some of Hollywood's biggest stars.
After he called them out for political correctness and being 'woke', it was Ricky himself who became the subject of cancel culture.
Opening up about the lasting effect social media cancel culture can have on a hard-working celebrity, the Office star insisted that a person should not go to court for telling a joke.
Ricky added: "Everyone’s allowed to call you an a**hole, everyone’s allowed to stop watching your stuff, everyone’s allowed to burn your DVDs, but you shouldn’t have to go to court for saying a joke that someone doesn’t like."
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