Jimmy Carr faces backlash for “vile” joke about travellers in Netflix special
The controversial gag has prompted calls for Netflix to remove his latest comic special
By Nick Reilly
Jimmy Carr has faced criticism for a joke he made in his recent Netflix comedy special about the traveller community.
In a clip of the stand-up show His Dark Material– which was released on Netflix on Christmas Day – Carr warns the audience: “Strap in everyone, you ready?”
“When people talk about the Holocaust,” he says, “they talk about the tragedy and horror of six million Jewish lives being lost to the Nazi war machine. But they never mention the thousands of gypsies that were killed by the Nazis.”
“No one ever talks about that because no one wants to talk,” he says, “about the positives.”
An initial Facebook post of the clip from user Alfie Best has been widely shared on social media, with criticism led by The Travellers’ Movement – a UK charity based in the United Kingdom that supports the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community against discrimination.
“Really goes to show what some people think. I have one thing to say thank you for sharing your views on gypsies as this spreads hate,” Best wrote.
“And it shows the world the abundance of abuse we take as gypsy people, glad the audience found it funny.”
The Travellers’ Movement said: “This is truly disturbing and goes way beyond humour. We need all your support in calling this out.”
Others branded the clip “vile” and called for Netflix to remove the special from the streaming platform.
“Truly vile, especially given the current attacks on the gypsy / traveller way of life by the conservatives which amount to ethnic cleansing. Jimmy Carr is a deeply cruel and sick man wielding huge influence to attack one of the most discriminated against minority groups in Europe,” wrote one user.
Another said: “You should remove your new Jimmy Carr Special at once. It contains some of the most shocking racist material I have ever heard – it literally glorifies in the holocaust murder of a persecuted minority. Take this filth off your channel now.”
Carr and Netflix have been contacted for comment by Rolling Stone UK.