‘I’m Being Oppressed’: Ricky Gervais Claims His Vodka Ad Was ‘Disqualified’ From TV for Mocking Rival Brand

Ricky Gervais bantering with media ahead of the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo: Chris Pizzello/AP Images)

On Friday, comedian Ricky Gervais took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to announce that an an ad for his Dutch Barn Vodka had been “disqualified” from TV after he mentioned a rival spirits imprint by name.

Best known for hosting stints at the Golden Globe Awards and roles in “The Office” and “Extras,” Gervais was announced as a co-owner of Ellers Farm Distillery at the end of last year. The North Yorkshire-based producer specializes in a range of eco-friendly gins, vodkas, whiskeys and flavored liqueurs. As is often the case with celebrity liquor investments, Gervais immediately got to work on promo — primarily for the distiller’s flagship Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka.

In one of several videos shared on the Dutch Barn YouTube page in February, the actor was seen in front of a white background playfully taking jabs at the competition.

“It tastes great and it’s friendly to the environment,” Gervais remarked.”It’s known as the posh one in the brown bottle. But if you can’t afford it, just get Smirnoff… you can get that for fifteen quid in some places, it does the trick.”

This ad was disqualified from TV with some bullshit reason about mentioning another product. How the fuck have we said anything bad? I’m being oppressed 😂pic.twitter.com/BeuJGbIFt3

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) July 26, 2024

Months later, Gervais has claimed on social media that the ad was pulled from circulation, presumably for name-dropping Smirnoff.

“This ad was disqualified from TV with some bullsh-t reason about mentioning another product. How the f-ck have we said anything bad? I’m being oppressed,” Gervais wrote on X.

Despite the “posh” attitude, it’s worth noting that Dutch Barn Vodka costs only 12 pounds more than the standard bottle of Smirnoff mentioned in the advert. It also bears mentioning that — in the UK — it’s legal to compare your prices to those of specific rivals.

In light of Gervais’ notoriously cheeky attitude, it’s unclear whether the ad was actually pulled or if the comedian was simply attempting to make a splash with his followers. It wouldn’t be the first time. In April, Gervais posted a different clip for Dutch Barn revolving around a fake doctor captioned with the tagline:

“Not only is this banned from TV but we’re not even allowed to use it as promoted ads on social media. It’s all down to you lot reposting it. I’m slowly destroying my own company for a laugh.”

Ellers Farm was first brought to market in 2021 by founder and chairman Chris Fraser. Operating under a fair pay ratio that allocates 20% of revenues to its workforce, the B-Corp-certified distillery has reportedly maintained carbon neutrality since its inception. Gervais is recognized as a co-owner, though the size of his investment was not disclosed at the time of announcement.

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