SmartLess – Episode Summary
Episode: “Ricky Gervais”
Hosts: Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett
Guest: Ricky Gervais (w/ a drop-in by Bradley Cooper)
Release Date: January 5, 2026
Episode Overview
This episode of SmartLess features the triumphant return of comedy legend Ricky Gervais. With characteristic wit, humility, and a sense of mischief, Ricky joins Jason, Sean, and Will for a wide-ranging, spirited, and self-deprecating conversation. Special surprise drop-in: Bradley Cooper, who helps kick off the episode with laughs and a discussion about British pastries, plastic surgery rumors, and friendship.
The discussion covers Ricky’s evolving career, comedic philosophy, views on cancel culture and offense, the art of sitcom creation, his love for animals, family roots, the making of The Office, and his latest ventures.
Key Moments & Discussion Breakdown
1. Warm-Up & Surprise Guest
[02:00–07:30] The 'SmartLess' Chaos, Bradley Cooper Dropping In
- Bradley Cooper joins the hosts at the top, ribbing each other about pastries, guessing Sean’s breakfast, and poking fun at Will’s (and Ricky’s) middle names.
- Good-natured digs about plastic surgery rumors, how actors are perceived, and an affectionate, informal atmosphere.
- Will: “Bradley won because I gave him extra points. I was really magnanimous.” [04:16]
- Jason introduces Ricky as the “brightest new star” from England, playfully mispronouncing his name as “Ricky Gervas.”
- Bradley and Ricky greet each other for the first time:
Bradley Cooper [08:11]: “Ricky, we've never met, but what a great thing to see you.”
Ricky [08:14]: “Nice to meet you, man.”
2. Reintroducing Ricky – Revisiting Old Connections
[07:30–11:00] Friendship & Comic Heritage
- Reminiscing about how they met in the era of “The Invention of Lying.”
- Jason lavishes praise on Ricky’s work, especially The Office Christmas Special.
- Jason: “You just… you're just it. I could eat it all day.” [09:24]
- Ricky’s self-deprecating response: “So now I've got to be nice to you.” [09:25]
- The group jokes about child actors’ looks, the perils of early fame, and genuine admiration for Ricky’s career.
- Will: “I just love the work you've done for animals and, and with your time and what you've done and really how you've inspired millions of people. This is the worst.” [11:51]
- The hosts ham up their fawning, with Ricky recognizing the ‘wind-up’: “I know you're not a great actor, but I could tell what you were trying to do.” [12:21]
3. The Pandemic, Friendship, and Podcasting
[12:52–14:30] Lockdown, Origins & Affable Tone
- Reflection on SmartLess as a ‘friends first’ project.
- Jason: “I hope we never lose that.” [12:52]
- Ricky: “That's when you really remembered you had friends when you couldn't see them.” [13:11]
- Will: “You were one of our first, first batch and… it was five years ago.” [13:34]
- Ricky jokes about being brought in “to help these guys… five years later, ah right, they need my help again. A little vitamin R injection.” [13:59]
4. On Touring, Stand-Up, and Lifestyle
[14:30–19:41] Ricky's Comedic Evolution and Touring Life
- Jason notes Ricky is “coming out here less” (USA) due to remote media realities and Netflix’s global reach.
- Will: “You're also doing stand up so much more now than you were 15 years ago.” [15:09]
- Ricky: “I'm a stand up now… and I'll do the odd TV show and film when I have time. I just flipped it.” [15:24]
- On touring:
- Ricky: “I do the most luxurious tour possible… three nights away at the most, four nights at home. I hop private all around Europe. Jane comes with me to all the good places… I make it a little weekend break.” [16:08–16:33]
- On getting older: “If I do two or three gigs in a row…I wake up, I think, was I run over last night?...It's age, it's like, I don't know what it's gonna be like for people to see me at 70…I'm already sort of grumpy.” [17:31]
5. Family, Early Life, and Honesty
[22:10–23:53] Canadian Roots, Family Dynamics, and Comic Honesty
- Ricky’s dad was Canadian, served in WWII, met his mother in England and never returned.
- Ricky: “When I was about 13, I said...‘Why am I so much younger than my brothers and sisters?’ And she just went, ‘You were a mistake.’ I laughed...that taught me that honesty is funny. Honesty has always been the funniest thing for me." [23:04]
6. Comedy, Offense, and Cancel Culture
[26:14–31:45] On Offense, Progress, and Navigating Taboo
- Jason: “Do you get the sense that the audience...that whole thing [about offense in comedy] is starting to soften?” [26:14]
- Ricky: “It is. It's cyclic…it’s not the first time it’s happened…they want to be, you know, quite rightly, more progressive than the last one. And sometimes, they get it right, sometimes they get it wrong...Comedy seems to be on the front line.” [26:36]
- Ricky: “People would rather someone say something awful and mean it than say something awful and be joking.” [27:23]
- On Jane as a sounding board: “I run things past her...I come up with an idea. I tell her. She says, ‘Please don’t say that in public.’ And I know...I can work on that. It’s got something.” [27:53]
- Sean: “You're probably touching on a lot of things people want to say themselves.” [29:30]
- Will: “That’s where I feel like a schoolboy, where, like, I'm getting away with saying the thing that the teacher...I'm not allowed to say.” [30:11]
- Ricky: “Most offense I’ve noticed comes from people mistaking the subject of a joke with the actual target.” [31:20]
7. The Comedic Persona and the Pathos of Characters
[31:45–35:15] Swagger vs Vulnerability Onstage & Onscreen
- Jason on Ricky’s range: “Your standup persona…there’s a swagger. Yet when you’re playing your most iconic characters…there’s a level of vulnerability…How do you…find the bullseye of humor in both?” [32:00]
- Ricky explains comedy’s power in showing that “we’re all idiots” and the power of persona:
- “If I come out and go, right, I'm the best thing since sliced bread and then slip over. That's so much funnier.” [33:50]
- On ‘same status’ with audiences: “I talk about being fat and old and gonna die and going bald…so that’s how I keep…same status…us against the world.” [35:15]
8. Guest Stars, Satire, and Parodying Self
[35:17–39:19] Extras, Celebrity Cameos & Animated Felines
- Jason: “Are you able to make guest stars comfortable parodying themselves on Extras?” [35:17]
- Ricky: “The stars I approached...wanted to do it. They wanted to go, ‘Let me show the world I’ve got a sense of humor about myself.’” [35:35]
- On The Muppets, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and the fun of being the butt of the joke.
- Tease: Upcoming project “close to parodying myself.”
- Ricky reveals an upcoming animated show, Alley Cats: “A group of feral cats living in a disused basement…they’re the meanest, sweariest cats in the world…but you know they're losers as well.” [38:28]
9. The Office: Creation, Method, and International Adaptation
[40:19–46:13] Deep Dive into the Making of the UK Classic
- Will: “Did you have any idea what you were doing with The Office was special?” [40:38]
- Ricky: “I knew it was different.” [40:47]
- The show was “99% scripted,” with Ricky improvising at scene ends to keep it real: “The behavior was improvised, though.” [41:09]
- Casting: Based characters on real people from his school days.
- Jason: “How did you find that incredible actor…without any winking at all?”
- Ricky on Mackenzie Crook (Gareth): “When Mackenzie walks through—he looks like a baby bird…suddenly him talking about ‘I could kill a man’—No, you couldn’t. You’d be eaten by a lizard.” [43:48]
- Adaptations:
- Of the French version, Ricky: “In France, they put the stapler in a big cheese.” [46:06]
- Jason: “He never sucks.” [46:19]
10. Creative Influence & Legacy
[48:41–50:59] Sitcom Heritage & The Classic Touch
- Jason: “Such a vacuum…six episodes…then it takes off.”
- Ricky credits Fawlty Towers and Spinal Tap: “Anything you say that I invented, I’ll tell you where I stole it.” [49:47]
- Jason/Will on how The Office inspired Arrested Development:
- Will: “We watched your show and we were just crazy about it.” [50:03]
- Ricky: “Once voted best comedy of all time, weren’t you?”
- Jason: “The best unwatched show.” [51:28]
11. Awards, Hosting, and Worldview
[51:41–54:50] Golden Globes Advice, Award Show Satire
- Jason: “Nominated for a Golden Globe...I just don’t want our patter to suck…”
- Ricky’s advice: “Just read the prompter, like, without any bits.” [52:45]
- On award show hosting: “You mustn’t take those things seriously…treat them like a night out.” [53:58]
- Ricky on British vs American awards: “The only reason [the Globes are] on telly is because it’s an industry award for really famous people. The teaching awards don’t get televised!” [54:12]
12. Touring, Specials, and Material
[55:40–58:01] Stand-Up Filming & Timeless Themes
- Will attended Ricky’s live taping: “You were really funny talking about hosting the Globes and what that was like.” [55:10]
- On filming stand-up: “I did 14 shows, I taped two. Traditionally, you want the venue where you can do a warm-up, and as intimate as you can.” [55:46]
- Jason: “Has the ratio [of sources] stayed the same—family, friends, headlines?” [57:36]
- Ricky: “It’s still Hitler, AIDS…Classics. Evergreen.” [57:50]
13. On Universality & New Work
[58:03–60:21] Timelessness, Mortality, and Comedy That Travels
- Ricky: “If I work up my show in England…it has to be about universal subjects…ego, bad days, getting old…timeless rather than topical.” [58:03]
- New special “Mortality” focuses on aging, self-deprecating themes: “It is about me getting old and grumpy and annoyed at stuff more and more…everyone goes through the phases of their life.” [58:43]
- Will: “All those best comedies...it is about these characters who are flawed…that's just as relevant today as it was 25 years ago.” [59:08]
14. Animals, Family Loyalty, and Final Questions
[61:16–65:12] Animal Rights, Veganism, and Impossible Choices
- Jason asks what Ricky would choose to make a “documentary” about if not comedy:
- Ricky: “I think animal rights is the first one.”
- Family story: “My brother punched a man just because he kicked the dog…and my mum went, ‘Fair enough.’” [62:02]
- Veganism: “I can’t really be saving dogs and eating sheep.”
- Final Would-You-Rather: Give voice to a pet or bring back a person from the dead?
- Ricky: "It's gotta be my cat talking, hasn't it? It's gotta be my cat." [63:50]
- Will: “What if your cat just said, ‘I just want you to fucking kick me’…that’s the only thing that gets me off?” [64:15]
- Ricky: "Obviously, we're gonna cut this bit, right?...That's the opener!" [64:25, 64:30]
- Cat’s name: “Pickle.” [64:47]
15. Closing Banter & Goodbyes
[65:29–68:59] Nicknames and Making Time for Friends
- Discussion on working-class names:
- Ricky: “…in America…the top name to show you were from a lower class was Ricky.” [65:31]
- Hosts describe their dogs named after each other; more playfully self-deprecating back-and-forth.
- Will instructing Jason to "make an effort" to see Ricky next time. [68:03]
- Ricky (gratefully): "Thank you. That was absolutely a pleasure for me. I hope it was a pleasure for you and I understand I'm the first. First. Second guest." [68:21]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Ricky Gervais [13:11]: “That's when you really remembered you had friends when you couldn't see them.”
- Jason Bateman [09:24]: “You just… you're just it. I could eat it all day.”
- Ricky [23:04]: “You were a mistake.” [on his mother’s honesty] “That taught me that honesty is funny.”
- Ricky [27:23]: “People would rather someone say something awful and mean it than say something awful and be joking.”
- Ricky [31:20]: “Most offense comes from people mistaking the subject of a joke with the actual target.”
- Ricky [33:50]: “If I come out and go, right, I'm the best thing since Sliced bread and then slip over. That's so much funnier.”
- Will Arnett [30:11]: “That's where I feel like a schoolboy, where, like, I'm getting away with saying the thing that the teacher...I'm not allowed to say.”
- Jason Bateman [51:28]: “The best unwatched show.” [About Arrested Development]
- Ricky [52:45]: “Just say no whenever…Even when Arrested Development wouldn't give me a first class ticket, I was still arrogant.”
- Ricky [57:50]: “It's still Hitler, AIDS. Classics. Evergreen.”
- Will Arnett [60:21]: “Surrendered, you know what I mean?” [ribbing his Parisian audiences]
- Ricky [62:02]: “My mom was like horrified…and [my brother] went, ‘Yeah, he kicked the dog.’ And my mom went, ‘Oh, fair enough.’ And that was it. That was a life lesson.”
- Will Arnett [64:15]: “I just want you to fucking kick me. That's the only thing that gets me off, is getting kicked.” (Imagining Ricky's cat, if it could talk)
- Ricky [68:21]: “Thank you. That was absolutely a pleasure for me. I hope it was a pleasure for you and I understand I'm the first. First. Second guest.”
Key Timestamps (MM:SS)
- 02:00 – Bradley Cooper joins as surprise guest
- 07:37 – Official intro for Ricky Gervais
- 13:11 – Reflection on pandemic and origins of SmartLess
- 16:08 – Ricky describes his touring lifestyle
- 23:04 – Honesty is funny; family anecdote
- 26:36 – Ricky on cancel culture cycles
- 31:20 – Mistaking subject vs. target of a joke
- 35:35 – Guest stars on Extras
- 39:19 – Alley Cats animated series discussion
- 40:47 – The Office: “I knew it was different.”
- 43:48 – Mackenzie Crook as Gareth
- 49:47 – Influences: Fawlty Towers, Spinal Tap
- 57:50 – “It's still Hitler, AIDS. Classics. Evergreen.”
- 62:02 – Animal rights and childhood lesson
- 63:50 – Would you rather: talking cat vs. bring back a person
- 68:21 – Ricky: “...first. First. Second guest.”
Tone & Takeaways
This episode is true to the SmartLess brand: breezy, irreverent, unguarded, and deeply funny. Ricky Gervais is in top form—sharp, vulnerable, honest, and generous with insights on comedy, career, and life. The hosts’ affection and admiration for him are palpable, and Ricky's wit and humility shine through. The conversation is packed with hard-earned wisdom about why honesty matters, what truly makes people laugh, and how great comedy lasts by being universal and rooted in genuine experience.
For anyone who wants an unfiltered look at the mind of one of comedy’s most influential modern voices, and a lot of laughs—this is essential listening.