Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Chronicle Live
Chronicle Live
National
Victoria Williams & Sophie Finnegan

Jimmy Carr addresses Holocaust 'joke' as he appears at Whitley Bay gig

Comedian Jimmy Carr has addressed his widely-condemned Holocaust 'joke' as he appeared at a gig in Whitley Bay.

The 49-year-old sparked outrage when a clip from his Netflix special His Dark Materials was widely shared on social media in which he 'joked' about the Holocaust.

In the clip, Carr said the deaths of thousands of gypsies had been one of "the positives" of the Holocaust, igniting a furious backlash.

Go here for the latest breaking news from Whitley Bay

After refusing to answer questions as he arrived at the Whitley Bay Playhouse for his Terribly Funny Show on Saturday night, Carr admitted during the show he's going to get "cancelled".

When asked if he regretted his infamous gag which referenced the murder of up to half a million Roma and Sinti people by the Nazi regime, he remained stony-faced and silent.

He told the audience: "The joke that ends my career is already out there."

Carr also spoke about catching a disorder using a homophobic term and was heckled by a woman who yelled: "Are we going to talk about the Holocaust?"

He replied: "We are going to talk about cancel culture, the whole thing.

"We are going to talk about everything people. Relax."

The comedian opened his show by joking: "Good evening ladies and gentlemen.

"Look at that, I've already upset the non-binary community.

"That has to be a record."

He later added: "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 forget about it.

"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."

He later added: "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 it's already out there.

"It's on YouTube, Netflix, or whatever, and it's fine until one day it isn't."

The beleaguered showman had cut it fine on Saturday night turning up just 30 minutes before he was due on stage.

Just two people turned up to get his autograph and one wasn't even a fan.

Carr spoke in a quiet voice as he told them: "Thanks for waiting guys. Sorry, the weather is bad.

"Why don't you come in out of the rain."

The two young men spent around five minutes inside with the comedian.

As they left, one admitted he only found out who Carr was earlier that day.

For the latest local news in your area direct to your inbox every day, go here to sign up to our free newsletter

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.