Ricky Gervais’ ‘rejected’ tube advertisements have been addressed by Transport for London (TfL).
In several tweets on social media, the comic, 64, shared adverts for his Dutch Barn vodka, which he alleged had been rejected from appearing in tube stations in the capital.
‘Welcome to London. Don’t forget your stab vest,’ read one advertisement showing Ricky posing with his product.
The tweet caused several social media users to falsely claim the After Life star had ‘personally paid’ for the adverts and that London Mayor Sadiq Khan had ordered their removal.
The caption from the comic read: ‘They said no.’
However, TfL has claimed that they had not seen the advertisement, highlighting London’s problem with knife crime.
They told Metro: ‘These adverts were never referred to TfL or their advertising partners for consideration. Alternative creatives for Dutch Barn have been accepted and are running on our network.’
The tweet was linked to a string of several other cheeky advertisements, with an initial ad that read: ‘One day you’ll be underground for good.’
For this advert, Ricky claimed: ‘I’ve had to come up with some new billboard ideas for London Underground.
‘This one was rejected on the grounds that “it may be construed as implying that because life is short, one might as well drink, potentially to excess.”‘
His other adverts also featured tongue-in-cheek comments, including: ‘Your tube driver’s favourite drink in the morning.’
Fans have had mixed feelings about the adverts, with many of his fans calling them ‘bangers’. Others have branded them ‘insensitive’.
The star is best known for his work on The Office, Life’s Too Short, and Derek.
He has never been afraid to cross the line, and earlier this year, found himself in hot water with a dicey Hollywood Walk of Fame speech.
He joked about how grateful he is to have his star sitting alongside some other legends of the business, naming celebrities who have been accused of sexual misconduct.
‘Thank you so much for this honour,’ Ricky began, per Variety. ‘It’s a genuine thrill to be part of such an exclusive club.
‘And just looking around earlier at all the other stars, absolute icons, you know? Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, Fatty Arbuckle…’
In 2023, over 12,000 people signed a petition calling for Netflix to axe his comedy special Armageddon before it was even released after a teaser clip showed him making gags about terminally ill children and using the R-slur.
He also became well known for calling out the Hollywood elite in his hosting speeches at the Golden Globes over the years.
Metro has reached out to Ricky Gervais’s representatives for comment.
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