Ricky Gervais’ Netflix special Armageddon is haunted by a viral James Acaster joke.

A clip of comedian James Acaster mocking Ricky Gervais has resurfaced following the comic’s friend’s Netflix special: Armageddon.

Gervais, 62, stars in the stand-up special, which was filmed during his 2022 tour and is described by the streaming service as a series of “controversial takes on political correctness and hypersensitivity in a taboo-shattering comedy about the end of humanity.”

armageddon was panned by critics The Independent’s the critic stated that Gervais was “trapped in the web of political correctness”.

Nick Hilton wrote, “Gervais’s jokes mocking illegal immigrants, the homeless, trans people, and more are the kind of ideas that, far from getting you canceled, are likely to win votes at the ballot box.”

“Rather than being a ‘great satire,’ armageddon “It’s just a piece of lazy comedy that exploits the majority’s fear of minority voices.”

Now a clip from Acaster’s 2019 stand-up show, Cold Lasagna I Hate Myself 1999, It resurfaced on social media, with many calling it one of Gervais’ most memorable takedowns.

Gervais’ Netflix special at the time Super Nature was met with condemnation for a series of jokes targeting the transgender community.

On the set of Acaster, the 38-year-old actor mocks Gervais for his tendency to defend “freedom of expression” and lashes out at so-called “cancel culture.”

He starts by taking aim at comics who spend most of their time “making fun of transgender people.”

“They say whatever they want, angry comedians. No one tells them what they can and can’t say. “Sometimes at the peak of their specials, they go straight on stage and make fun of transgender people for 10 minutes,” he says in the clip.

“People on the internet are upset about this… comedians are always saying: ‘Bad luck, this is my job, I’m a stand-up comedian, I’m there to challenge people. If you don’t like being challenged, don’t watch my show. What’s the matter, gentlemen, is it too difficult for you?’

“Yes, because you know who is a long overdue challenge? Trans community. If you ask me, they’ve let their guard down for too long. “Thanks to you, they’ll all be checking their privileges on the way home, you brave little cis boy.”

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She continues: “I would name one of the comedians running around in this routine, but it always felt so awkward in the room because it seems like in 2019 most people are still more than happy to laugh at trans people, but they just aren’t.” I was still laughing easily at Ricky Gervais. This is the line.”

Author and educator Zoe Paramour shared the clip this week, tweeting, “When it comes to Ricky Gervais, no one says it better than James Acaster.”

Acaster described how the clip routinely went viral in response to discussions about comedians like Gervais or Dave Chappelle. Independent last year.

“I’m definitely glad it was the clip in its entirety that was used… It’s kept in context, so that’s great,” he said.

Explaining that his friends often text him to check if his fellow comedians are upset with the reaction of their fans, he replied: “I don’t see any of it and I also don’t care. “If people disagree with that statement, then I don’t care if they get mad about it or hate me.”

He added: “That’s all well and good, my comedy routine about it, [but] people sometimes talk about it as if it’s something people keep pushing during arguments.

“I know the controversy is a bunch of comedians saying these things and so people are responding with another comedian’s clip and I understand how relevant that is and I’m specifically talking about them. But there are plenty of brilliant trans comedians working today, and plenty of writers and think pieces being written on the subject that are much better and more articulate than me in aviator sunglasses and a sunset jacket.

In a recent interview on BBC Radio 5 Live, Gervais defended his comedy routine following an uproar over a joke. armageddon He uses the insult “r*****” towards disabled people about terminally ill children.

“I literally say in jest that I didn’t do that. But there is a public reaction. “They don’t analyze,” he said. “They feel something; This is resentment. It’s a feeling. So saying ‘I’m offended’ is pretty meaningless. What do you want me to change?”

The comedian added that he believes “99 percent” of the response is “fake attack.”

“They’re not actually offended. “They just want to be heard,” he said.

On Thursday, December 29, he reacted to the show’s success on Netflix, where it is now the No. 1 series in the UK.

“Fucking hell,” he wrote on x/Twitter. “According to me armageddon It will be huge. Thank you to everyone who loves and praises him, and of course to everyone who hates and whines about him. “You all played your part.”