Netflix Under Fire—Again—Over Trans Jokes, This Time By Ricky Gervais

Breaking Business Netflix Under Fire—Again—Over Trans Jokes, This Time By Ricky Gervais Marisa Dellatto Forbes Staff I cover breaking news, arts and entertainment. May 24, 2022, 01:53pm EDT | Updated May 24, 2022, 02:47pm EDT Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Seven months after dozens of Netflix staffers walked out of work to protest a Dave Chappelle comedy special critics called transphobic, the streaming service immediately came under fire by releasing a special from comedian Ricky Gervais, who jokes about trans women. Ricky Gervais speaks onstage at the Season 3 Premiere of Netflix’s “After Life” at the BFI Southbank .

. . [+] on January 6, 2022 in London, England.

Dave Benett/Getty Images Key Facts In SuperNature , Gervais jokes about trans women minutes into the special, saying “I love the new women… the ones with beards and cocks,” before launching into a spiel about pronouns, bathrooms and sexual assault, according to the Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly . Describing how Kevin Hart lost his Oscars hosting gig in 2018 due to resurfaced tweets, Gervais again brings up trans women, saying “the worst thing you can say today is, ‘Women don’t have penises,’ right? …. There are no 10-year-old tweets saying [that] .

You know why? We didn’t think we fucking had to!” In another part of the special, Gervais says he “support[s] trans rights. I support all human rights, and trans rights are human rights,” and urges his audience to “live your best life” and “use your preferred pronouns,” before joking “but meet me halfway, ladies. Lose the cock.

” In a statement to Variety , LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD called SuperNatural “graphic, dangerous [and] anti-trans” and questioned Netflix’s policy against content “designed to incite hate or violence,” saying, “we all know that anti-LGBTQ content does exactly that. ” Netflix updated its staff corporate culture guidelines earlier this month, adding a portion about artistic expression that said employees “may need to work on titles you perceive to be harmful” and that if that’s not acceptable, “Netflix may not be the best place for you. ” The streaming service reported subscriber losses for the first time in a decade last month, sending its stock plummeting, and laid off roughly 150 staffers last week.

Chief Critic “It’s increasingly plausible that, later this year, say, when Netflix demands credit for treating Elliot Page’s Umbrella Academy storyline with care or for greenlighting a new LGBTQ series for a fraction of what it paid Gervais, a large segment of the audience will understand that for the streamer, caring about the rights and the humanity of people just trying to live their lives is an act, ” Variety critic Daniel D’Addario wrote . Contra “The woke mind virus is making Netflix unwatchable,” Elon Musk tweeted last month. That didn’t stop him from sharing a link Monday to a new documentary on the streaming service about him.

Key Background After the pushback from Chappelle’s special The Closer , Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos refused to remove it from the platform and defended it to employees, before admitting he “screwed up” his internal communication about the comedy show. Past complaints from employees did not stop the streaming service from working with the comedian. Chappelle performed this month at Netflix’s comedy festival, Netflix Is A Joke, and during the event he was attacked on stage.

After his alleged assailant was removed, Chappelle purportedly joked that his attacker “was a trans man. ” Tangent Gervais is no stranger to controversy surrounding the trans community. In a 2018 Netflix special Humanity , Gervais made remarks about Caitlyn Jenner, who is transgender.

In 2019 he came under fire for a series of tweets some critics called transphobic. Speaking on The Daily Beast’s The Last Laugh podcast in 2020, Gervais defended his jokes, saying “most offense comes from people who mistake the subject of a joke with the actual target. And they’re not necessarily the same… you know, ‘He’s making fun of a trans person, therefore he’s transphobic,’ which is very odd.

That would suggest that you can never make fun of a trans person for any reason. Even if it had nothing to do with their trans-ness. ” When his critics add “-phobic” to the end of a word, Gervais said he believes it means “they want you to shut up.

” Further Reading Dave Chappelle Says He’s Willing To Talk To Transgender Netflix Employees But ‘I Said What I Said’ (Forbes) Netflix Employees Plan Walkout Amid Chappelle Controversy (Forbes) Follow me on Twitter . Send me a secure tip . Marisa Dellatto Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.