RIcky Gervais Defends His Fat Jokes

Comedian Ricky Gervais has caught flack over comments he made about overweight people in an audio, and has taken to his blog to defend himself.

In a new audiobook, The Ricky Gervais Guide To Medicine, the 47-year-old calls (via The Telegraph) people who get stomach surgery to lose weight "lazy fucking fat pigs" who should go for a run instead:

"I really don't know why a doctor under a hippocratic oath takes the risk of something going badly wrong, sometimes with general anaesthetic, because someone can't be bothered to go for a fucking run.

"They have bits sliced off and tied up and sucked out. I want to say to them, 'You lazy f---ing fat pig. Just go for a run and stop eating burgers. You might fucking die'.

"Some things are not worth the risk. When someone's facial surgery goes wrong because they wanted plumper lips or a little nose, I think they're a fucking idiot.

"If your arse is too fucking fat, stop eating and go for a run."

Gervais as now blogged about his comments, citing how The Telegraph claimed he is in an "attack" on fat people:

I heard someone on the radio once say that they were tired of the prejudice aimed at the overweight. They said something like "you're not allowed to make fun of gay people, so why are you allowed to make fun of fat people? It's the same thing."

It's not the same thing though, is it? Gay people are born that way. They didn't work at becoming gay. Fat people became fat because they would rather be that way than stop eating so much. They had to eat and eat to get fat. Then, when they were fat they had to keep up the eating to stay fat. For gayness to be the same as fatness, gay people would have to start off straight but then ween themselves onto cock. Soon they're noshing all day getting gayer and gayer. They've had more than enough cock... they're full... they're just sucking for the sake of it. Now they're overgay, and frowned upon by people who can have the occasional cock but not over indulge.

When a doctor tells me that that's how you become gay, I'll stop making jokes about fat people.

Gervias has joked about his own weight in the past. Here are some self-deprecation on Letterman from July.

Here is preview clip, via YouTube, of the audiobook:

Comments

[PhoebeMarieGriddlebone]

I adore Ricky Gervais, and so does my very overweight sister.

[lizziekw]

He's hilarious and right, as usual.

[markinaz]

As an overweight gayboy, I found his routine hilarious and spot-on. Especially the part about surgery. How anyone could spend any amount of money and go through both the pain and humiliation of something like that is beyond me. The secret is being happy with who you are. If you are not, I'm afraid no amount of surgery is going to make you happy.

[arcanepsyche]

Ignorance is bliss right?

The surgery known as gastric bypass is a surgery done to save lives. It's not cosmetic, and doctors know that. My own mother had this surgery and it changed her life. She lost 150 pounds and is healthier and happier than she has ever been.

[smags72]

And why couldn't she have lost 150 lbs with diet and exercise? Because it takes too long?

[Mischka23]

i think it would have been a lot less funny what he had said, had he been a thinner man. but when it comes down to it, i think he was right on a level. when you have a weight problem it's not going to be fixed until you take full responsibility of it yourself. even with surgery you have to change your lifestyle to make the outcome worthwhile.

[1will]

He's a funny guy. I look foward to his next show on tv.

[jpmdevildog]

Ricky Gervais is now in a feud with the World's Fattest Cat over his recent fat jokes.

http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/celebs/ricky-gervais-fatty-feud/

[TaiwanTim]

Just imagine if he would have made a fat joke and a lesbian joke at the same time! Oh - the liberal left would be having a hissy fit. Wait - imagine if it was a fat, lesbian, and a baby Jesus joke - then the radical right could have a hissy fit too!

Fat people in motorized scooters are hilarious, hands down.

[smags72]

It's not hilarious. Fat people in motorized scooters are gross. Maybe if they walked a few miles they wouldn't be so fat that they become incapacitated.

[kat401]

Why do some people feel they have a right to put down a whole group of individuals this way? Do you think these people decided they wanted to be fat one day and then just proceeded to eat their way to obesity? Can you imagine being so miserable that you'd be willing to have you stomach sliced open in hopes of a solution? Go for a run? How would you like to go for a run wearing a 50 pound backpack? Try hauling three or four times that. How many runs like that do you think you could do? Imagine the stress on your knees and ankles.

And if one of these people has taken the courageous step to go under the knife to do something about their problem what gives anybody else the right to criticize them for it?

[DonCosenza]

Don't comedians have the right to criticize anyone for just about anything? If you don't find 'em funny, don't watch them.

IMO, Gervais has done much more controversial routines (for example: search for Gervais, Nazis and Sharks, or Shindler's List).

[SeanONe]

It's not courageous it's selfish. They're too stupid and selfish to stop eating which is the lazy option if you think about it. So their greed triumphs even over their laziness.

[chinacatsunflower]

because if they ate their way to obesity, they should be able to lose weight by eating healthy foods less often and exercising more often. and i don't fall for the "too fat to exercise" line either. everybody can do something, and start out with "baby steps"

[smags72]

The 'courageous step to go under the knife to do something about their problem...' See here's my issue with it - the MORE courageous step would be to get up off the couch and go for a damn walk in the first place. Surgery is the easy way out. Fat people don't just decide to be fat in one thought - they make decisions every day, every meal, that add to it. As a person with a weight problem since I was 7 years old, I know about those choices. But I haven't, and won't, let myself get THAT big, because I am unwilling to look like that, be ridiculed like that, have to pay double for airfare like that. It is THEIR CHOICE to be that big. Nobody else's. Have a salad for once!

[EarthToZoey]

We should all refuse to eat what the military-industrial complex wants us to eat: processed, scientifically, genetically modified fast foods...



...and replace it with what mother nature has evolved us to eat: whole grains and legumes; fruits and vegetables that are in season, local and organic; and naturally produced animal protein (grass-finished beef, vegetarian-fed chicken, etc without antibiotics and growth hormones, wild-caught sustainable fish, wild game, etc). 



Yes, it isn't as "easy" to eat this way because you actually have to *think* before you eat, but being conscious of what we put in our mouths is exactly what will get our nation healthy again. Fueling our bodies is one of the most important things that we do -- it literally keeps us alive -- so why not spend time to do it right? 



When I changed from junk, commercialized foods and mindless eating to sourcing my food as close to nature as possible and rekindle my love of home-cooking, my life literally changed. Not only did my body change (complexion clear, hair and nails stronger and shinier, feel strong, less body f a t) but my state of mind changed as well. Good nutrition is the best medicine! Yes, it is a bit more expensive to eat organic than factory-produced foods -- but not if you reduce you portions! Reducing your portions isn't that hard when you eat good quality food, prepare it with care, and savor it with thanks.

[curly2]

I completely agree with you; however, it is not easy for everyone to get local vegetables and free range meat. And the price of free range or organic meat-- through the roof, if you can find it at all. If you're feeding a family of four on an average income it's just too expensive. the grocery stores (where I live) don't have free range-- they have corn or grain fed organic, which isn't as good at all.

As for vegetables-- where I live, the grocery stores don't even stock local fruits/veg (during the summer, even, 90% of the products are from Mexico or Chile). You'd have to travel 20 miles to farmer's market, and take off work to do it (there only open on Wednesdays from 7 AM to 1 PM a few months a year).

[Xysea]

It is if you grow it.

See, that's what changed in America. We decided that it was pedestrian to grow our own food, so we relied on large farms instead. And big grocery stores. (Remember when there was a dairy man, a butcher, a fishmonger, a fruit guy, the vegetable man and the bakery? Now, it's all under one roof.)

They want to make profits, so they go cheap on ingredients. This is not new, read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. Utlimately you can try to regulate and legislate but there is no better control than your back yard.

I have an herb garden. I joined a co-op and got half a plot. I have lettuce, greens, turnips, peas, carrots, broccoli - no one can raise the price or add chemicals I don't know about.. In the Spring, I'll plant tomatoes, corn, peppers, squash, zucchini, and beans. (All for a $10 fee and some labor to the co-op. I donate any produce I can't eat or put up to feed the hungry.)

This year, I am replacing my flowering plants with blueberry shrubs and I'll plant some strawberries, too. Pretty and practical.

During WWII this was called 'victory garden'. Even those without yards could have one. They were done on porches, in pots, anywhere. (It's great for kids. It takes discipline, responsibility, attention, caring - good traits for a possible pet owner, yeah?)

Free-range meat is a bit more complicated, but do-able. Ask around! Good luck!

[Judexs]

Um, military industrial complex? Let's just take the military part out of there. The US military frowns on fat boys (less so on fat girls, who are allowed a higher than average amount of body fat that what is considered healthy, AR 600-9 has details, to be exact) and weight is a very common reason for discharge.
Let's just say the media-corporate farm-weight loss for money complex, shall we?

Also, get the feds to mandate what can and can't be bought with food stamps, make fresh foods cheaper than macaroni and cheese, and modify what kind of ads can be shown to kids and we'll make a little more progress with the healthy stuff.

[jpginla]

You missed this recent headline:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0105/p03s07-usmi.html

[lizziekw]

Ugh. I'm not going to drive myself nuts making sure every morsel of food I eat is "pure" by your standards. And we eat meat as well, something you left off your list of "approved" foods.

There is far too much focus on food - period. People fixate on eating too much, not eating enough, eating only these things and never those things, or vomiting it all back up again after they've finished.

There are no bad foods, only bad eating habits. I don't have an eating disorder and I refuse to develop one. We eat well - we're not fanatics about it. Enough already with the food obsessions.

[lizziekw]

I was wrong, you have "grass fed beef" on your list of foods we are allowed to eat. Sorry.

[EarthToZoey]

We should all refuse to eat what the military-industrial complex wants us to eat: processed, scientifically, genetically modified fast foods...

...and replace it with what mother nature has evolved us to eat: whole grains and legumes; fruits and vegetables that are in season, local and organic; and naturally produced animal protein (grass-finished beef, vegetarian-fed chicken, etc without antibiotics and growth hormones, wild-caught sustainable fish, wild game, etc).

Yes, it isn't as "easy" to eat this way because you actually have to *think* before you eat, but being conscious of what we put in our mouths is exactly what will get our nation healthy again. Fueling our bodies is one of the most important things that we do -- it literally keeps us alive -- so why not spend time to do it right?

When I changed from junk, commercialized foods and mindless eating to sourcing my food as close to nature as possible and rekindle my love of home-cooking, my life literally changed. Not only did my body change (complexion clear, hair and nails stronger and shinier, feel strong, less body fat) but my state of mind changed as well. Good nutrition is the best medicine! Yes, it is a bit more expensive to eat organic than factory-produced foods -- but not if you reduce you portions! Reducing your portions isn't that hard when you eat good quality food, prepare it with care, and savor it with thanks.

[SeanONe]

Move to the EU where all that garbage is illegal and noone uses fructose in anything.

[alienobserver]

Case in point - in Europe the drink Orangina contains only orange juice and carbonated water, here it also has High Fructose Corn Syrup -WHY???? It tastes way better without it.

[lynnn]

LMAO he's funny (and he's right to a certain extent)!

[randomfatdude]

I can't speak for the entire Fat Nation (One one nation, under Pie, indivisible with liberty and stretch pants for all), but personally my feelings weren't at all hurt by Ricky's comments. He's a comedian, he's supposed to say outrageous things and make as many people laugh as possible. But you judgmental talkbackers...WOW! You take the cake. Which pisses me off, because I REALLY wanted some of that cake.

[Uhura65]

I am a fat person (even after losing 140lbs through diet and exercise) who actually did go running today as Gervais suggests, yet I find his comments pretty despicable.
I come to this sight just to get a feeling how like minded people feel about politics and current events. It's nice to know that there are sane progressive people to share ideas with. But when it comes to fat, and the treatment of fat people the majority of progressives will turn in to hurtful conservative close minded right wing morons who can't dredge up an ounce of empathy for someone who does not conform to their idea of health and good looks. The nasty rhetoric in these comments are just stunning. There is a difference between comedy and just pure hate (see Micheal Richards comments).

Did somebody fat take your lollipop when you were kid? Geez! Talk about bullies.

[EarthToZoey]

Americans are obsessed with weight and all things superficial. That's the problem. Don't worry, there are plenty of people who see through all of the societal propaganda and love people for who they are not how the world thinks they should be.

For every person who makes fun of someone who is overweight, there is someone making fun of them for some such superficial detail. Not that an endless cycle of people humiliating each other should be comforting, but it should put things into perspective.

By the way, congrats on your successful healthy endeavors! Love yourself no matter what, Uhura!

[LeftCoastLarry]

Excessive weight is unhealthy. It's not a perception, it's a fact.
I'm overweight, though not obese. I work out at a health club almost every day. There are all kinds of people there from the most fit to the not so much. Everyone is respected for being there and giving it the effort. I have never seen anyone look down on anyone.

[Labatt50]

I agree with Gervais, but only to a certain extent. Yeah, people who GET fat have no one to blame but themselves. Then there are the poor fat kids whose fat, lazy parents stuff them full of junk food and soda and let them rot in front of the tv instead of forcing them to play outside. These kids have practically no choice but to become fat themselves. It's not like they have the mental capacity at their age to say to themselves "I'm not living a healthy lifestyle. I think I'll start exercising and eating well." Passing on disgusting lifestyle choices to helpless children is tantamount to child abuse.

[lynnn]

Yea that is very true. I always feel sorry for children and also depressed ppl. Some anti depressants make ppl gain weight (like almost overnight) I think that is horrible, and a sick joke.

[porfiry]

I agree with you, if we're talking about a middle-class stay-at-home mom taking care of a couple kids in the $300,000 family home, and she's fattening them up on pure Krap when she has the time and money to store and prepare fresh food.

But say, a single mom, living with a couple young kids in a low income apartment complex, working three jobs to keep them all afloat...well, the kids can feed themselves TV dinners, but they can't make themselves roasted chicken with steamed broccoli, can they? Because Mom's not going to be home until 3 a.m., and then she's got to get up at 6 for her early shift.

All that being said, I fully agree with Ricky about these stomach-stapling nutjobs...I have no sympathy for them. If I found myself to be even remotely on the PATH to 500, 600, 700 pounds, I think it would cross my mind, "hey, maybe I should go take a swim, and eat a dozen less eggs today." I wouldn't be begging a doctor to just fix me. Stomach stapling *is* for lazy people...they couldn't get off the couch for a half-hour to do *something*? They just couldn't avoid eating a whole loaf's worth of French toast? Really?

[wakeupbomb]

Why can't they make something other than TV dinners? My sister learned to cook and bake when she 7 from my mom and grandma. Most of the time they were around to watch her, but I remember her making cookies on her own. She could turn on the oven, set it for a correct amount of time and do all that. Or why not throw some beef roast in a crockpot with some vegetables and some water right before you leave for work. If the kids can prepare a TV dinner they can take a roast out of a crockpot.

I'm just saying, it's easier to let your kids eat sh*t all the time, but there are alternatives.

[Labatt50]

The excuse of being a single parent is just that: an excuse, and nothing more. There's nothing preventing her/him to put fruit and veggies in the crisper, and have sandwich ingredients on hand. Healthy, ingredients are less expensive than junk food. It's just a question of laziness and ignorance.

[Palemoon]

One of the greatest philosophers/orators/lawyers in history, Demosthenes, when asked what makes some one such an effective speaker replied.... "Delivery, delivery, delivery".

With that being said, Mr. Gervais finds himself in a situation that could have been better avoided by using proper delivery. To put it in the simplest of terms, I think he meant well but just went about it the wrong way. ;o)

While I agree quite alot with what he said, I can't agree with the way he came across. Obviously, whether he was trying for humor, sarcasm, whatever, he should have conveyed the context of his words better. People tend to get quite offended at what they think is something said for spite, even if it is joking around.

To quote another philospher, John Locke.... "He that uses his words loosely and unsteadily will either not be minded or not understood."

[Brian Ross - Huffpost Blogger]

To paraphrase Marx (Groucho):

Political correctness is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.

Or for all you intellectuals in the room, sometimes a rubber chicken is just a rubber chicken.

Go Ricky.

[Palemoon]

While I agree with you, I think you misunderstood my post. Perhaps I didn't follow my own advice on being clear. LOLOL!!

To give you an idea of what I mean, many times I go out of my way to give guys a hard time. Often I will phrase things like "Typical men" on some blog posts. Partly to poke fun at them, while also drawing attention to something since I know that by intentionally making a blanket statement it will be seen as either offensive, controversial or both. Could I have said it better, or in a different, less controversial manner? Of course. But then, it wouldn't have stirred the great debates that I provoked them into. Maybe Mr. Gervais intended that, to be attacked by everyone except me and you it seems, LOLOL.

[diogeron]

Actually, I'm not familiar with that quote from Demosthenes but I do recall this one from my classical rhetoric class in grad school, which may be applicable: "No man who is not willing to help himself has any right to appeal to his friends, or to the gods."