Few celebrities achieve the level of stardom Ricky Gervais has, and even fewer get away from some of the statements the comedian has made.
This is one of the reasons he has such a dedicated following as all criticism appears to flow off him like water off a duck’s back.
Arguably, he is best known for his views on religion, specifically Christianity, deriding the faith regularly on Twitter and in his comedy routines.
It all stems from his strong world views, leading him away from faith and even farm animals – he’s vegan and hasn't eaten animal products for years.
He pursues his passions and views both on and off-camera, as the star has been known for his animal activism for many years.
Is Ricky Gervais atheist?
Ricky has never shied away from the topic of atheism and his journey with it.
Way back in 2010, he wrote a candid letter for the Wall Street Journal in which he directly answered the question of why he’s an atheist.
Explaining what he tells believers when asked why he doesn’t, he said: “It is ironic therefore that ‘I don't believe in God because there is absolutely no scientific evidence for his existence and from what I've heard the very definition is a logical impossibility in this known universe,’ comes across as both patronising and impolite.”
He added: “Why don't I believe in God? No, no no, why do YOU believe in God? Surely the burden of proof is on the believer. You started all this.”
Why is Ricky Gervais an atheist?
Ricky wrote in an article shared on his website that he “loved Jesus” growing up but everything changed at the age of eight.
He recalled a time when his brother asked his parents, “why do you believe in God?”
According to Ricky, his mum “panicked”, saying “Bob” in a tone that meant “shut up”.
Ricky wrote: “Why was that a bad thing to ask? If there was a God and my faith was strong, it didn’t matter what people said.”
He added: “Within an hour, I was an atheist. Wow. No God. If Mum had lied to me about God, had she also lied to me about Santa? Yes, but who cares? The gifts keep coming. And so did the gifts of my newfound atheism.
“The gifts of truth, science, nature. The real beauty of this world. Not a world by design, but one by chance. I learned of evolution - a theory so simple and obvious that only England's greatest genius could have come up with it.
"Evolution of plants, animals, and us - with imagination, free will, love and humour. I no longer needed a reason for my existence, just a reason to live.
“And imagination, free will, love, humour, fun, music, sports, beer, and pizza are all good enough reasons for living.”
Is Ricky Gervais vegan?
While Ricky is best known for his atheism, he is also a vegan and has been practising the lifestyle for a number of years.
While on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, he was asked a series of difficult questions.
Jimmy asked: “Who’s the best Beatle?” Before adding: “If you had to be a cannibal, who would you eat [from the Beatles]?”
Ricky quickly hit back: “Well I’m vegan so it’s even worse for me. I wouldn’t.”
Jimmy laughed: “What about Paul McCartney? He’s vegan.”
Ricky continued: “Well, that doesn’t make any difference if you eat someone who’s vegan, you’re still eating meat, aren’t you?”
It’s not the first time he has been vocal on animal rights, with the star launching a campaign in 2021 calling for the end of a series of fake animal rescue videos on YouTube.
Around the same time, he joined the Humane Society to created an animated short called Save Ralph.
The film follows the life of a cosmetic-tester rabbit, with the video going viral on social media soon after.
Does Ricky Gervais want to get cancelled?
In his latest Netflix special, SuperNature, Ricky pushes his own boundaries of comedy, and his next stand-up, Armageddon, will continue this trend further.
Rickey jokingly admitting: “I’m treating it like it’s my last one ever.”
He added: “It won’t be, but I want to put everything into it. I want to try and get cancelled. No, I just want to go all out there.”
“[Armageddon] is about the end of the world and how we’re going to destroy ourselves for lots of reasons, whether it’s media stupidity, or the actual end of the world.”
Armageddon currently doesn’t have a release date, but it is expected to drop on the platform in 2023.
