Nish Kumar reignites Ricky Gervais feud as he brands comedian a 'f***ing d***' over trans jokes in fresh rant

Many of Mr Gervais' more recent specials, such as Mortality, Armageddon, SuperNature, and Humanity, were released on Netflix and quickly garnered attention for his gender-critical jokes.

Emmy-winning writer Mr Gervais hasn't let the naysayers and critics put a stop to his style, however, with the comedian regularly defending his material in light of opposition.

Mr Kumar went viral on social media following the release of SuperNature in 2022, when he dedicated a portion of his own stand-up show to criticising Mr Gervais.

And in a 2024 interview with The List, Mr Kumar claimed Mr Gervais's comedy was "like reheating Bernard Manning" and would be "at home at a Trump rally".

Now, in a new interview with The Independent, Mr Kumar took aim at his comedic adversary once again.

Despite admitting he was aware that "many people in my life wish I was less willing to slag off my co-workers", Mr Kumar let rip.

"There’s always been this half of comedy that is bullied people taking agency of their narrative, and the other half has always been comedy for bullies," he said of the likes of Mr Gervais and fellow un-PC comics like Jimmy Carr and Dave Chapelle.

"And this latest bout of transphobia is just the latest marginalised community to fall into the crosshairs of bullies.”

Continuing his less-than-favourable opinions on his fellow comics, he went on: "I think a lot of these comedians are f***ing d***s. And some of them don’t even realise the extent to which they’re just pawns in a power game.

"They’ve deluded themselves into thinking that what they’re doing is somehow countercultural. How countercultural can it be if you share views on the transgender community with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin?"

Mr Kumar explained that, to him, "social cohesion and the safety of minority groups" mattered more "than whether or not Ricky Gervais likes me."

He didn't stop there, as Mr Kumar even went as far as to suggest that Mr Gervais's brand of comedy and jokes about the trans community was akin to the racism his family faced in the 1970s.

"When my family first moved to this country, we were the target of those comedians. I don’t see a lot of difference between the racist and hostile jokes directed at my family by comedians in the '70s, and the targeting of the trans community now," he said.

"If you come from any sort of minority, marginalised background, we’ve all got to have each other’s backs. Prejudice is a contagion."

It will come as little surprise that Mr Kumar continues to bear resentment towards Mr Gervais over his material.

After Supernatural was released and during his show, It’s In Your Nature To Destroy Yourself Part 2, Mr Kumar fumed: "Guys, why is everyone so angry with trans people? What did they do? There are 12 of them. Why is everyone so upset?

"Everyone’s like, do you say ‘he’ or ‘she’? I don’t know, ask. It’s not an unsolvable conundrum."

Turning his attention to Mr Gervais specifically during the set, he then said: *F*** Ricky Gervais. What he’s doing is not edgy or interesting; he seems to think it makes him an edgy or interesting comedian.

"It’s not, all he is the same as every other rich white dude comedian who gets too successful, runs out of ideas, and shoves a s*** on the latest minority group."

And in his interview with The List, Mr Kumar argued: "The Office remains a masterpiece, but in terms of his current act, it feels like he’s reheating Bernard Manning.

"There’s a joke he made about illegal immigrants in his last special that would play pretty well at a Trump rally. Maybe (we're) two different sides of a philosophical dispute about the function of comedy, for which there isn’t a right answer.

"I have the self-awareness to know I’m not necessarily right. But it boils my blood. I really don’t know what Gervais’ problem is with the transgender community, but I’m now sort of past caring."