Ricky Gervais tried to school celebrities in a new post, but instead got a roasting from his own Instagram followers.
Gervais posted a screengrab from ABC News, which quotes comments he made during his Golden Globes monologue in 2020.
“If you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg.”
He added the caption, “They’re still not listening,” with a laughing emoji on Sunday, after a handful of celebrities called out ICE while accepting their awards at the Grammys.
One commenter politely informed Gervais, “It’s kind of cringe to quote yourself,” the way a teenager might correct their grandpa’s social media etiquette. Another wrote that posting his own quote was “very David Brent-coded,” comparing the comedian to his The Office character.
Wrote another to Gervais, “You’re overusing this joke. It was funny at first, but come on…”
Others praised the celebrities who spoke up, like Super Bowl halftime performer and Album of the Year winner Bad Bunny, who declared “ICE out” as he accepted his trophy. Billie Eilish, while accepting her Song of the Year award on stage, added, “No one is illegal on stolen land.”
“Nah, Billie was 100% right to say what she said,” one user commented on Gervais’ post.
Others were brutally practical about the issue, with one writing, “You can’t make music if ICE kills you, so yeah—it’s political.”
Celebrities at the Grammy Awards were particularly outspoken about Donald Trump’s ICE deployments across the United States, as the agency leaves a trail of bodies, controversies, and protests in its path.
Gervais, who was roasted by Wanda Sykes at the Golden Globes this year for his anti-trans jokes as she accepted the best TV stand-up award on his behalf, has been vocal about his distaste for political correctness, though he insists his commentary is all in good fun.
He told the Daily Beast in 2020, “I’ve had it throughout my career. So there, you know, ‘He’s making fun of a trans person, therefore he’s transphobic,’ which is very odd,” he added. “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.”
The comedian and longtime animal activist is also no stranger to using his platform to support causes he cares about. One commenter called him out on it, writing, “So you can use your platform against cruelty to animals, but you draw the line on cruelty to people?”
Gervais’ Sunday comments come after Bill Maher—who was also roasted by Sykes at the Golden Globes—made a similar complaint about celebrities who comment on politics last week.
“If Democrats want to win elections in the future, job one, tell the celebrities to ‘Just shut the f--- up.’ You’re not helping,” Maher said. “You don’t strike people in most of the country as sensible or in touch with reality.”
