Real Reason Ricky Gervais Is Pissed at the Emmys: “They’re still not listening”
Ricky Gervais is back to hating on award shows again and shared his own quote from the Golden Globes during this week’s Emmys.
Comedian, actor, and producer Ricky Gervais criticized the Emmys and the celebrities attending the ceremony again, this time attaching his own quote from the Golden Globes. Gervais has hosted the ceremony five times, with the 77th Golden Globe Awards in 2020 being his apparent final one.
Gervais recounted the statement he made during his opening monologue for the 2020 ceremony, which saw him call out celebrities for using the platform to make political statements. Referring to this year’s Emmys, Gervais called back to his own statement in a since-deleted X post (via TV Insider).
They’re still not listening
Many celebrities use award ceremonies as a platform to make statements about something they stand for, but Gervais had called out the privilege of such celebrities and even pointed out the hypocrisies in some during his Golden Globes speech and his recent dig at the Emmys.
Strong Political Statements at the Emmys Prompt Ricky Gervais’ Anger
As in other years, the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2025 were also eventful and had many moments that dominated headlines. While the show’s hosts, presenters, and guests steered clear of talking about this week’s assassination of political commentator Charlie Kirk, other current affairs were addressed.
As Ricky Gervais pointed out on social media, several celebrities took the ceremony to make political statements. Actor Javier Bardem wore a kaffiyeh to the ceremony and reportedly exclaimed ‘Free Palestine’ at the red carpet, while Megan Stalter carried a handbag that had the words ‘Cease Fire’ written on it (via TV Insider).
Actress Hannah Einbinder won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks and included a statement about Palestine and the ICE raids in her speech. Another moment that went viral was Stephen Colbert’s win for Outstanding Talk Series. The talk show will see its final season next year after a controversial cancellation earlier this year.
Colbert did not get overtly political in his speech and instead took to making jokes about not having a job anymore. But his win seemed to be a strong statement as he got a standing ovation when he appeared on stage.
Will Ricky Gervais’ Alley Cats Get Him Some Emmy Love After They Ignored After Life?
Ricky Gervais has won Primetime Emmys twice in his career and has been nominated multiple times. The actor won the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series award for Extras and, as a producer and creator, won the Outstanding Comedy Series award for The Office (USA). He has also been nominated for Derek, The Ricky Gervais Show, and his hosting duties at the Golden Globes.
However, his previous show, After Life, did not seem to get any love from the award show throughout its three-season run. Despite it being one of his most profound works, the Emmys did not recognize the show, not even garnering nominations. The actor and producer will not be back on Netflix with an animated show called Alley Cats.
Created by Gervais and starring him in a voice role, Alley Cats will feature the actor in a role that seems to be another version of his After Life character, except he is a cat (via Variety).
I play a fat, lazy, rude, opinionated creature with fangs, who’s not as smart or brave as he thinks he is. So quite a stretch.
The series is being directed by Elliott Dear and also stars Tom Basden, Andrew Brooke, David Earl, Kerry Godliman, Jo Hartley, and Diane Morgan. As the actor returns to TV with what will no doubt be another profound work about life and the world around us, the question remains if he will be nominated for the Emmys again with this show.
What do you think about Ricky Gervais’ statements? Comment below.
