Ricky Gervais wants to live to see young generation ‘cancelled’ by the next one

Danny Jones

Ricky Gervais reckon this generation will be cancelled by the next

‘Don’t they realise that they’re next? That’s what’s funny’

Ricky Gervais has said that he wants to still be around for when the next generation is cancelled, stating that it’s pretty much inevitable.

The 60-year-old comedian was speaking on an episode of his Absolutely Mental podcast with American philosopher, neuroscientists and author Sam Harris when he suggested that the current ‘woke’ generation won’t be woke enough for the next.

“I wanna live long enough to see the younger generation not be woke enough for the next generation. It’s going to happen. Don’t they realise that they’re next? That’s what’s funny.

“‘We kicked out the old guard. We did it.’ There’s only so woke and liberal you can get and then you start going the other way. But it’s inevitable.”

In response, Harris went on to say that progressive thinking isn’t necessarily generational and added that “no matter how left you [think] are”, there is always someone who appears further left-wing than you and who will subsequently treat you “like a Nazi.”

The pair have often discussed the notion of cancel culture on the podcast and where the line between comedy and offence is, with Gervais having famously said multiple times: “just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right“. He has also intimated that these days people think “their opinion is worth more than fact“.

Gervais recently had to qualify a comment he made regarding whether The Office would be cancelled or not in today’s society, as the discussion over how its jokes have aged over time rages on.

Nevertheless, Gervais says the show – which was once again voted in the top ten series of the 21st century – like all of his comedy, is often misunderstood as people confuse the subject of a joke with the intended target.

Not unlike Dave Chapelle, who is currently under fire for his most recent Netflix special, Gervais has also been accused of making jokes that are perceived as transphobic. However, both comics are very much of the belief that there is equality in comedy and that rather than ‘punching down’, they are punching in straight lines.

Regardless of what side of the argument you land on, it’s hard to disagree with his theory: the societies that spring from previous generations have different values and their standards as to what they deem acceptable are always going to change. It is part of human nature to evolve and hopefully progress, often rendering those who went before us as archaic or out of touch.

The question is, will the supposed ‘woke’ generation of today be cancelled in the next?