Ricky Gervais slammed on social media after tweet comes off as defense of Louis C.K.

Ricky Gervais went on a Twitter rant about comedy that many believe was a defense of Louis C.K. (AP)

Ricky Gervais went on a Twitter rant that many believe to be inspired by the backlash his friend and fellow comedian Louis C.K. is receiving over a leaked audio set that mocked gender non-conforming people and survivors of the Parkland shooting.

The star took to Twitter to discuss the concept of a subject being off limits for comedy, arguing that things are either funny or they’re not.

“Please stop saying "You can't joke about anything anymore". You can. You can joke about whatever the f--- you like. And some people won't like it and they will tell you they don't like it. And then it's up to you whether you give a f--- or not. And so on. It's a good system,” he wrote on New Year’s Eve.

He added: “There is no subject out of bounds. People often get offended when they mistake the subject of a joke with the actual target. It all depends on the joke.”

Critics were swift to come after Gervais, 57, connecting his words to what C.K. is going through. As previously reported, the former “Louie” star is working on his comeback after admitting last year to sexual misconduct. In audio leaked from a recent live set, Louis C.K. can be heard mocking the Parkland survivors and the subsequent “March for Our Lives” movement they started. He also mocked gender non-conforming people.

Comedian Louis C.K. is in trouble with fans after making jokes about the Parkland shooting.

One user outright connected Gervais’ tweet to the C.K. situation.

“People who laugh at ‘jokes’ about kids being shot dead in school are a------s and I will not miss a chance to point that out to them. Ever. Repeatedly.”

“You have every right to do so,” Gervais replied.

It’s worth noting that Gervais isn’t necessarily speaking from a place of non-involvement when it comes to the Louis C.K. drama.

The duo, as well as comedian Chris Rock, caught fire over a recently resurfaced 2011 special called “Talking Funny” in which the group, along with Jerry Seinfeld, discussed stand up. In the special, C.K., Gervais and Rock got on the topic of race in which Louis used the n-word. In the clip, Seinfeld is the only one to mention that the word may be problematic for white men to use.

While Gervais never mentions Louis C.K. by name in his tweet storm, he has previously caught heat for poking fun at the transgender and gender non-conforming community as well. His special “Humanity” caught backlash for jokes about Caitlyn Jenner.

However, despite the heat he’s getting for his defense of offensive humor, Gervais continued to respond to fans arguing that humor exists in a place outside reality.

“Is it OK to joke about animal cruelty?” one user questioned.

“Yes. Just don’t actually commit any cruel acts on animals. Just like you can joke about murder as long as you don’t actually murder anyone.”