Ricky Gervais rejects calls to tone down comedy: 'Be offended if you want'

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Raymond Arroyo is here with a special Thursday edition of Seen and Unseen. Ricky Gervais isn't backing away from controversial comedy. The comedian doubled down on his long-held defense of free speech during a recent radio interview, saying he has no interest in changing his material to avoid offending audiences and arguing that backlash only adds to the joke. "I don't tell people not to be offended; I tell them I don't care if they are. Be offended if you want, it makes it funnier for me," Gervais said during an appearance on BBC Radio 2. RICKY GERVAIS MOCKS GRAMMY WINNERS MAKING POLITICAL SPEECHES, SAYS THEY'RE 'STILL NOT LISTENING' Ricky Gervais speaks onstage at the Season 3 Premiere of Netflix's "After Life" at the BFI Southbank in London. (David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images, File) The 65-year-old comic, whose stand-up specials have freque