Ricky Gervais defends ‘taboo’ humor amid backlash over ‘transphobic’ jokes

He’s not kowtowing to the woke crowd.

Ricky Gervais is standing steadfast amid backlash, doubling down on his defense of “taboo comedy” amid ongoing social media outrage over a series of jokes in his new Netflix special “SuperNature,” which many online critics deemed transphobic.

“I think that’s what comedy is for — getting us over taboo subjects, so they’re not scary anymore,” the 60-year-old Emmy winner told BBC One’s “The One Show” on Tuesday, the same day his special dropped on Netflix. “It’s like a parachute jump — it’s scary, but then you land and it’s all OK.”

“So I deal with everything. And I think we second guess the audience too much,” added the controversial UK comic, who said that most offense comes from fans conflating the jokes with the target.

His statement followed the release of the comedian’s latest special “SuperNature,” in which the comedian mercilessly mocked the trans community.

“I love the new women,” Gervais snarked in one of the inflammatory bits. “They’re great, aren’t they? The new ones we’ve been seeing lately. The ones with beards and c – – ks. They’re as good as gold, I love them.”

The perennial pot-stirrer continued, “And now the old-fashioned ones say, ‘Oh, they want to use our toilets.’ ‘Why shouldn’t they use your toilets?’ ‘For ladies!’

“ ‘They are ladies — look at their pronouns! What about this person isn’t a lady?’ ” Gervais added. “ ‘Well, his penis.’ ‘Her penis, you f – – king bigot!’ ‘What if he rapes me?’ ”

“What if she rapes you, you f – – king TERF w – – re?” quipped the comic, referencing the acronym for Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist, which is used to refer to people who reject the idea that trans women are real women.

The Brit-wit concluded the show by maintaining that he’s a big supporter of “trans rights.”

The special sparked outrage in online LGBTQ circles as commenters accused the comic of punching down at a marginalized community -— with some even threatening to cancel their Netflix subscription. Meanwhile, US LGBTQ organization GLAAD labeled the special a “dangerous” and “graphic,” adding that the show consisted of “anti-trans rants masquerading as comedy,” Variety reported.

Despite the backlash, the “Afterlife” creator ultimately believes that the audience can handle dark humor.

“Real life is much worse,” Gervais spilled on “The One Show.” “These are just jokes. They don’t mean anything. They’re just for you to laugh for an hour or so.”

“So that’s why I deal in taboo subjects,” added Gervais, who joked that his ultimate goal is to get canceled by the public.

This isn’t the first time Gervais has gone to the metaphorical gallows over jokes.

Last week, while promoting “SuperNature” on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” the “Extras” star claimed that “smart people” don’t get offended by jokes about AIDS, Hitler and other taboo topics. 

“Smart people know you can deal with anything, particularly when dealing with something like irony,” “The Office” creator told Colbert, 58.

Gervais said he ultimately believes that offensive comedy acts as a vaccine against the harsh realities of existence.

“Humor gets us over bad stuff,” declared Gervais. “That’s why I laugh about terrifying bad things. You know, that’s why comedians are obsessed with death because, you know, it gets us through . . . it’s an inoculation to the real things that are going to happen.”