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- Ricky Gervais donates eye-watering amount of tour money to charity (the-independent.com)
Ricky Gervais Donates Nearly $3 Million to Animal Charities from Stand-Up Tour Profits
Comedian Ricky Gervais has once again demonstrated his commitment to animal welfare, announcing a substantial donation of almost $3 million (£2.43 million) to various animal welfare organizations. These funds were generated from the proceeds of his recent “Mortality” stand-up tour.
The 64-year-old entertainer distributed the funds among 22 charities, including well-known groups such as the PDSA, International Animal Rescue, Celia Hammond Animal Trust, and Animals Asia. The money was raised from additional profits garnered through platinum seating sales during his tour, which ran from 2024 to 2025.
Gervais shared the news on social media, reflecting on the donation with his characteristic humor: “My mum always used to say ‘you can’t take it with you’, no I can’t mum. But I could’ve bought 30 speedboats and raced them round the Med with my mates, off our heads on weed and Bollinger.
Anyway. Too late now.”
He added, “To celebrate my Mortality Tour, my Netflix Special, my Golden Globes nomination and the spirit of Christmas, I am donating £2.43m to animals. These are the lovely charities I’ve chosen. merry Christmas critters.”
This latest philanthropic effort follows a similar gesture from his previous ‘Armageddon’ tour, which earned him a Golden Globe and saw £1.9 million donated to charity. This brings the total charitable contributions from his four most recent specials to over £5 million, underscoring his consistent dedication to supporting animal causes.
Among the numerous beneficiaries are Libearty Sanctuary, Pangea, Wild Futures, All Dogs Matter, Dogs On The Streets, Paws2Rescue, Edinburgh Dog And Cat Home, Saving Strays, Chaldon Animal Sanctuary, Turgwe Hippo Trust, Safe Haven For Donkeys, and Catastrophes Cat Rescue. Additional donations will support Finding Shelter Animal Rescue, Flori’s Friends Animal Rescue, NYC Second Chance Rescue, Helping Rhinos, and Retreat Animal Rescue.
The distribution of funds saw four charities each receiving £150,000, 17 organizations allocated £100,000 each, and the remaining £132,000 designated for Nowzad.
Gervais’s Mortality Netflix special, which secured a Golden Globe nomination for best performance in stand-up comedy on television, premiered globally on the streaming platform on December 30. Beyond his stand-up success, Gervais is widely recognized for his work on hit BBC sitcoms like The Office, Extras, and Life’s Too Short, as well as Channel 4’s Derek and Netflix’s After Life.
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- Ricky Gervais donates eye-watering amount of tour money to charity (the-independent.com)