Ricky Gervais defends AIDS joke after backlash

The Office star came under fire from some of his social media followers earlier this week when he answered a Twitter meme of “things you can say both during sex and during a funeral”.

Gervais answered in form of a question: “AIDS?”

The joke sparked outrage from users, who accused Gervais of once again practising “offensive comedy”.

“The idea that you think AIDS is a death sentence is as dated as your comedy, Ricky,” wrote the editor of Gay Times Magazine Ryan John Butcher.

“This is legit asked of me every time a friend dies, which is ignorant, offensive and not f****** funny,” wrote another user.

But the only comment to warrant a response from the comedian came from the National AIDS Trust Twitter account.

“Nice,” they wrote. “Why let accuracy about HIV get in the way of having a pop at an already very stigmatised group of people?! #keepingitclassy.”

Gervais answered, asking: “You mean, why aren’t jokes factually actuate?

“Because they’re jokes. I don’t hold the same world view as my jokes. Most people get that.

In March, the comedian came under fire for making a joke about dead babies during one of his stand-up shows, which led to a couple who had lost a child leaving.

He wrote on Twitter at the time: “‘Is there any subject you shouldn’t joke about?’ is no less ridiculous a question than “is there any subject you shouldn’t talk about?'”

He added that he sees “offence as the collateral damage of free speech”.