‘I’m going down swinging’: Jimmy Carr responds to Holocaust joke controversy

Jimmy Carr has responded to the controversy surrounding his viral joke about the Holocaust, telling gig-goers that he is “going down swinging”.

Last week a joke from his latest Netflix special, His Dark Material, circulated on social media, in which he uses the death of Gypsy people during the Holocaust as a punchline.

It prompted criticism from fellow comedians such as David Baddiel, and politician Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary, who suggested bringing in a law to control streaming services.

Downing Street said his comments were “deeply disturbing” but that it was a matter for Netflix whether the show would remain on the streaming service.

Over the weekend Carr, 49, is said to have responded to the controversy at a gig in Whitely Bay in Tyne and Wear when a fan heckled: “Are we going to talk about the Holocaust?”

According to the Mirror, he said: “We are going to talk about cancel culture, the whole thing.

“We are speaking, my friends, in the last chance saloon. What I am saying on stage this evening is barely acceptable now. In ten years, f****** forget about it.”

“I am going to get cancelled, that’s the bad news. The good news is I am going down swinging.

“The joke that ends my career is already out there. It’s on YouTube, Netflix or whatever, and it’s fine until one day it f****** isn’t.”

The 8 Out Of 10 Cats host is said to have added: “You are going to be able to tell your grandchildren about seeing this show tonight. You will say I saw a man and he stood on a stage and he made light of serious issues.

“We used to call them jokes and people would laugh.”

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He then went on to claim that his ability to tell inappropriate jokes is the result of a “rare psychological disorder”.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said the government was “toughening measures for social media and streaming platforms who don’t tackle harmful content”.

Sajid Javid, the health secretary, called the joke “horrid” on Times Radio and urged people not to watch his content.

Carr is renowned for his somewhat darker humour, in the past making jibes at different minority groups.

Last week, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust shared a statement on Twitter from chief executive Olivia Marks-Woldman, who was “horrified” to hear “gales of laughter” after Carr’s remarks.

Sharing a statement on Twitter, the charity Friends, Families, Travellers said it was “disgusted and outraged” by the comedian’s comments.

Murder is “no laughing matter”, it said.