While the 2026 Golden Globe Awards may have been a night of celebration for many, ricky gervaisit served as a public reckoning. Although he was absent from the awards ceremony, the 64-year-old comedian won the award for best TV stand-up comedy during a special show. moral.
This victory was overshadowed by a viral moment by the presenter and lesbian icon wanda sykes. Before announcing the winners, Sykes jokingly said, “I love you, Ricky, because if you win, I get to accept the award on your behalf. You’ll be thanking God and the trans community.” When his name was called, she was true to her word and accepted the trophy saying, “He wants to thank God and the trans community.”
The irony was not lost on anyone. Gervais, a staunch atheist, has spent the past decade building a brand of comedy that revolves around making fun of transgender people. Here’s a look back at the comments and direct quotes that fueled this years-long controversy.
2016: Golden Globe Awards and Caitlyn Jenner
The friction began during the 73rd Golden Globe Awards ceremony. In his opening monologue, Gervais targeted Caitlyn Jenner, just months after coming out. He let her name die, saying, “I’ve changed. Not as much as Bruce Jenner, of course, but I’m Caitlyn Jenner now.”
He also focused on her, who was involved in a fatal traffic accident, saying, “She’s had an absolutely amazing year. She’s been a role model for trans people everywhere, showing incredible courage in breaking barriers and breaking stereotypes. She’s done so much for women drivers, but you can’t do it all.”
He later defended the joke.
2018: Comparison of “humans” and “chimpanzees”
in his Netflix special humanityGervais doubled down, spending more than 15 minutes revisiting Jenner’s joke. He justified the use of her dead name.
“I’ve changed,” Gervais said at the opening of the Golden Globes, reminding the audience that “I’ve changed, not as much as Bruce Jenner, but now Caitlyn Jenner, of course, and she’s had a great year, bravely breaking barriers, breaking stereotypes, and setting an example for transgender people around the world. She hasn’t done much for women drivers.”
“It’s a clever joke, and I’ll tell you why,” Gervais says. “It’s hierarchical. The subject of that joke is a stereotype. I’m toying with the idea of a stereotype. So I start saying, ‘She’s a real woman.’ Some might say it’s a liberal and progressive attitude. (Mr. Gervais seems to think that recognizing people’s identities is progressive.)
“But she saw it, I saw him at the Olympics. He won a medal. He was on TV all the time. He’s a big celebrity. If he was a big name, I don’t know. I never let her name die. But when she was a man. I’ll never let her name die now, but this is like a flashback. ‘Cause that was his name, this was years ago, right? That was his name, I think it was for 58 years.”
He went on to say: “I’m not one of these bigots who think it’s all over-the-top science…In fact, I’ve always identified myself as a chimpanzee. Well, I’m a chimpanzee. If I say I’m a chimpanzee, I’m a chimpanzee. And don’t ever give me a dead name, call me Bobo from now on. We’re going to rebalance the species.”
2019: Twitter and JK Rowling
Gervais launched an “anti-woke movement” on social media in 2019, posting in support of: JK Rowling. He sarcastically tweeted at the parody account, writing: “Women who are biologically awful will never understand what it’s like to be a nice woman later in life. They take for granted the privileges of being a girl: winning in women’s sports, having their own bathroom. Well, enough is enough.””
He went on to argue that trans women pose a threat in homosexual spaces, saying, “We need to protect women’s rights, not erode them because some men have found new and insidious ways to control and demonize the entire sex.” When challenged, he claimed he was referring to “male predators hiding under the trans umbrella” and not trans women themselves.
2022: “Supernature” and the bathroom controversy
In the special super natureGervais scoffed at what he called “the new woman.”
On the show, Gervais warned that many of his jokes would be sarcastic, saying: “Then I say things I don’t mean for comic effect, but you, the audience, know what’s right and laugh at what’s wrong. This is a way of satirizing attitudes.”
Right after he made a joke about “old-fashioned women.”
“They have wombs. Those damn dinosaurs. I love the new women. They’re great, aren’t they? The new women we’re seeing these days, the ones with beards and cocks.” Then I imagine a conversation with a woman who objects to sharing a bathroom with a trans woman. “They’re women. Look at the pronouns. How about this person not being a woman?” And he said, “Well, it’s his penis.”
“Full disclosure, in real life, of course, I support transgender rights,” Gervais later said. “I support all human rights. Transgender rights are human rights. Live your best life. Use whatever pronouns you want. Be the gender you feel like. But meet me halfway, ladies, lose your dick. That’s all I’m saying.”
He then played out a hypothetical argument about public restrooms.
“They’re women. Look at the pronouns. Why isn’t this person a woman?” “Well, it’s his penis.” “Her penis, you fucking bigot!”
2026: “Right” to be aggressive
In a BBC interview in January 2026 this cultural lifeGervais showed no signs of remorse. When asked if he was “doubling down” on anti-trans content, he replied: “That’s probably true, but that’s because I think I’m right.”
During the conversation, the host asked him about controversial jokes in the past, including comments about transgender people. Interviewer John Wilson told Gervais that he felt the comedian had not “changed with the times” and had “doubled down” on the “anti-woke movement”.
“That’s probably true, but only because I think it’s true,” Gervais replied. The interviewer asked him to clarify what he thought was right, saying, “I have a right to talk about things like that. And there are jokes that I stand by. I can’t look back and say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I said that when I was only 50.'” He continued, “As you become more progressive, perhaps more moderate, and change, what usually happens is that what you were doing before looks worse.”
Ricky Gervais has yet to respond to Wanda Sykes’ comments at the Golden Globes.
Source: Gayety – gayety.com
