Viewers blast Jimmy Carr for ‘disgusting’ Holocaust joke in new Netflix stand-up show
HORRIFIED comedy fans have blasted Jimmy Carr after the star made a “disgusting” Holocaust joke in his new Netflix stand-up show.
The comedian, 49, issued a “trigger warning” to the audience at the beginning of one-hour special His Dark Materials.
During the broadcast, which aired on Christmas Day, he spoke of “six million Jewish lives being lost” during the horror.
For his punchline, he said there were “positives” – the deaths of thousands of gypsies at the hands of the Nazis.
Carr, a father-of-one, admitted before the show that some of the jokes were “career enders”.
And his remarks have sparked outrage, with campaigners and viewers alike slamming the vile gag.
One viewer wrote: “It’s estimated that around 75 per cent of Europe’s gypsy and Roma population were murdered in the Holocaust.
“Take Jimmy Carr off the air and cancel all his projects immediately.”
Another branded the joke “evil”.
‘EVIL JOKE’
“Absolutely abhorrent. I know we joke about it but we have a serious issue regarding offensiveness in comedy,” they said.
The clip has since gone viral on social media – and thousands of people are having their say online.
The Traveller Movement – a charity supporting the traveller community in the UK – said: “This is truly disturbing and goes way beyond humour.
“We need all your support in calling this out.”
Hope Not Hate, the anti-fascism and anti-racism campaigning group, also condemned the comedian’s joke on Friday.
In a tweet, they said: “Comedy is an amazing tool for progressive change and it’s such a shame that Jimmy Carr decided to use his platform to celebrate the murder of one of the most marginalised groups in society.”
The Auschwitz Memorial called for Carr to “learn about the fate of some 23,000 Roma and Sinti deported to Auschwitz” in a tweet to their 1.2million followers.
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And Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE – the CEO of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust – has also hit out at members of the audience.
“We are absolutely appalled at Jimmy Carr’s comment about persecution… and horrified that gales of laughter followed his remarks,” she said.
A representative for Carr has been contacted for comment.