Ricky Gervais has never been one to shy away from uncomfortable truths — especially when they involve himself. Now 63, the comedian has opened up about his deepening anxieties around health and ageing, joking that he’s constantly convinced he’s dying after Googling his symptoms.
Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the After Life and The Office creator gave a brutally honest update about getting older. “This is as good as it will ever be,” he said bluntly. “It’s not like I’ll turn 70 and feel better than I did at 60. Everything just hurts more. It’s slower.”
He described his morning routine as borderline comedic: “When I walk downstairs, it feels like I’ve got pirate legs. Everything’s stiff. It just hurts.”
“Jane, I’m dying.”
Gervais also shared his near-daily ritual of asking his partner, novelist Jane Fallon, to assess his latest health scare — usually followed by him turning to Google for a self-diagnosis. And it always ends the same.
“I Google my symptoms. The first few results are okay — could be stress, diet… but then I push my luck. Number seven: cancer. And I go: ‘Jane, I’m dying.’”
Walk of Fame honour — and controversy
His unfiltered health confessions come just as he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where, true to form, Gervais stirred controversy again. During his speech, he referenced stars like Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, and Fatty Arbuckle — all of whom were embroiled in high-profile legal cases — joking about the “exclusive club” he was now part of.
“I haven’t even prepared a speech,” he quipped. “I just don’t have a suit that fits anymore.”
Though critics might call it inappropriate, Gervais insists his job is not to take things too seriously. And that includes ageing, pain, and his own fears about mortality.
