Ricky Gervais Can't Help But Get Involved In Will Smith's Oscars Controversy

If there's one thing the Will Smith-Chris Rock altercation at the Oscars has taught us, it's that sometimes an ill-timed or poorly-conceived joke can land you in hot water. And despite hosting the Golden Globes five times, and absolutely slaughtering the celebrity audience with his merciless roasts, Ricky Gervais doesn't care who he offends. He told TODAY back in 2016, "I think offense is taken, not given. If you don't let yourself be offended, you're not offended. Some people are offended by quality; some people are offended by mixed marriage; some people are offended by homosexuality. What are we meant to do, stop all those things because someone's offended? No." 

While hosting the 2020 Golden Globes, he sneered directly to the roomful of celebs, "Let's have a laugh at your expense, shall we? Remember they're just jokes. We're all gonna die soon, and there's no sequel." With Gervais' stance on shocking comedy made clear, perhaps that's why the comedian thought he'd double-down on that sentiment and jump into the Smith-Rock nightmare while the water was warm. "The Office" creator and star retweeted a clip from his famous U.K. show (that spawned the wildly successful U.S. spinoff), and we're pretty sure it's a direct dig at the Smith household. 

In a retweet to his 14.6 million followers, Ricky Gervais shared a short clip from the original U.K. version of "The Office," where his character David Brent takes his unamused staff out to the pub. In the clip, cringey Brent says (per the Daily Mail), "Welcome to Alcoholics Anonymous! No — purely social. I know someone who is an alcoholic and it is no laughing matter — particularly for his wife. And she's got alopecia. So ... not a happy home life."

The timing of Gervais' clip cannot be ignored, as the Will Smith-Chris Rock altercation at the Academy Awards occurred after Rock made a questionable joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's baldness, which is due to alopecia. "Jada ... 'G.I. Jane 2,' can't wait to see it," Rock quipped, referencing the 1997 action flick in which Demi Moore's character joins the Navy Seals and shaves her head. 

Gervais didn't stop there. He also responded to a fan on the social media platform who wished the "After Life" star had hosted the Oscars, writing how he'd roast the rich and famous if he were up on stage in his would-be speech. "I'm proud to announce that this is the most diverse and progressive Oscars ever," Gervais wrote. "Looking out I see people from all walks of life. Every demographic under the sun. Except poor people, obviously. F*** them." Feel free to take a moment to pick your jaw up off the floor!