Ricky Gervais Sticks By His Mantra Amid Alopecia Disability Backlash

British comedian, actor, writer and producer, Ricky Gervais, is receiving mixed reviews about his take on the Will Smith/Chris Rock Oscars slap.

On Sunday, March 27, the 64th annual Academy Awards were held at the renowned Dolby Theatre.

This was the first time in a year that the coveted award had been held at its old stomping grounds.

Due to the pandemic, the Oscars were held at Union Station in Los Angeles in 2021.

On Oscars night, all was going well for the famous audience until Rock took the stage and made a “G.I. Jane” joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, or lack thereof.

Jada has Alopecia Areata , which is an autoimmune disorder that causes your hair to come out, often in clumps the size and shape of a quarter, according to WebMD.

At first, Smith could be seen laughing in the audience while his wife dramatically rolled her eyes.

Within seconds, the “King Richard” actor was storming the stage and then proceeded to slap Rcok across the face.

He followed the slap up by screaming “Keep my wife’s name out your f**king mouth,” twice.

Later in the ceremony, Smith took home the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Richard Williams in “King Richard.”

It’s been pure mayhem for the actor and his team since that night.

Gervais decided to weigh-in, given he’s been a pretty harsh host at the Golden Globes in years past.

He isn’t one to go easy on anyone with his jokes.

During his 2020 opening monologue at the Globes he said, “Let’s have a laugh at your expense, shall we? Remember, they’re just jokes. We’re all going to die soon.”

Clearly, this is something Gervais still stands by today, because he did not hold back on his commentary regarding Smith’s smackdown.

Taking to TikTok earlier this week, “The Office” actor said, “You don’t hit someone over a joke; however bad it is and it wasn’t bad. That was like the tamest joke I would’ve ever of told. Jesus. Someone said it was joking about her disability.”

Gervais threw the “joke” back on himself and proceeded to say, “Well I’m going a bit thin, so I’m disabled. I can park right up to Tescos now. And, and I’m fat, that’s a disease. I’m fat and balding… I should get f**king benefit.”

Many of his TikTok followers shared mixed reactions to the video.

Some found his take on the situation hysterical, while others took offense to him laughing about Alopecia being called a disability.

One person commented on his video, “I absolutely love how Ricky says it how it is. Genius with comedy and a Genius with real life… legend.”

“Oh brilliant Ricky!” and “My guy” were other comments in support of Gervais’ video.

On the other side of the issue were many who felt his joke wasn’t so funny.

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“I completely disagree with this Ricky to be honest. I think you’ve gone a bit far,” one dismayed fan commented.

Another wrote, “But if it was cancer, you wouldn’t have joked about it. Alopecia isn’t nice to have, she must feel so anxious about how others think about her.”

“Many people don’t understand... In America, everything is different. Black women, our hair, our looks. Is not up for jokes. Chris should’ve known better,” a critic replied.

On April 4, the Golden Globes’ official YouTube channel published a video titled, “Ricky Gervais: The World’s Favorite Host.”

The description of the video read, “No one ever slapped him. Ricky Gervais once said that he would never make a joke about someone with a condition they have no control over. So, which jokes are good jokes? On this World Comedy Day, we asked this question of our five-time Golden Globe host who sees himself as an outsider to the privileged bubble we call Hollywood.”

Gervais said, “Ten years ago when someone was offended by something, you’d look into. You went, ‘Oh, what have I done?’ Now you go, ‘Everyone’s offended.’ Who cares?”

“The joke should stand on its own two feet, whatever your politics, whatever your beliefs. It’s about the gag,” he continued. “Sometimes you say things you don’t mean for comic effect. Like with irony or satire. You can’t second guess. They’re just jokes.”