Used to be able to make insightful, down to earth comedy, but he's no good anymore. Money and fame ruined him, unfortunately.
According to Business Insider, his work netted him $80 million in 2013. Over the 12 years between that and the office, it would be fair to say his after tax net earning is roughly $13 a minute. Think about how that distorts your sense of reality.
If you take a shit, and you're constipated, it could cost you over $40. Want to go to the supermarket? The amount of time it takes you to travel there, shop, and get back is worth more than the price of the groceries. Washing and folding laundry, you might have been better off buying a new wardrobe.
So you hire an assistant to perform your personal tasks, a maid to handle your upkeep, and before you know it you're living in a complete bubble.
Nothing seems high stakes because money can solve most of your problems. Everyone's pleased to meet you, and flattery from strangers, friends, and associates becomes de rigueur.
Your personal interactions are totally fucked and your sense of reality is completely distorted. Everyone calls you a genius writer, when all you did was write what you know and act as an exaggerated version of your own personality.
Same thing essentially happened to John Cleese, but at least his fame took longer to accumulate so he had a good decade or two. Between the accelerated accumulation of wealth and fame, his weaker educational foundation, and his success late in life, Ricky Gervais had no chance of maintaining his success.
Have there been any comedians or writers who can handle this level of success and still make great stuff?
[Karl Pilkington only has so much, plus has a broken boiler, so he'll be alright. Plus he didn't try pasta until he was in his 20s. ]