Woman who buys ticket to offensive comedian stunned to find he's offensive
Punter slams Jimmy Carr for 'vile' joke about deafness
Few people can go to a Jimmy Carr gig unaware of his reputation for offensive jokes.
But one punter has complained to the media after the stand-up turned his harsh sense of humour onto her.
Carly Ahlen says she felt ‘absolutely insulted’ when the Cats Do Countdown how made a joke about her deafness, calling the comments ‘vile’.
The 44-year-old – who lost her hearing in the Army – said she was disappointed that the stand-up comedian used his platform to ‘put down those who have a tough life’.
Carr first teased her for wearing a beret, which she then raised to reveal her hearing aid.
‘I hoped he was at least a decent guy and would move on, knowing I was deaf,’ she told the Mirror. ‘It didn’t work. It had the opposite effect as I was like a sitting deaf duck now.’
She later caught his eye because she was using her phone to transcribe his set, joking that she might be using it to ‘call for backup from the French Resistance’.
He followed it up by joking that you can say what you want about deaf people ‘because they can’t hear you’.
That proved too much for the wildlife rescuer, who said. ‘I was shocked – this isn’t comedy. There’s a joke and then there’s absolutely insulting. It’s vile to the deaf community.’
It’s just not acceptable. He doesn’t need to do that – he’s rich enough. I’ve spent far too long feeling miserable and ashamed of my hearing loss because of the stigma attached to it.’
Ahlen bought a ticket to Carr’s show at the West Orchard Theatre in Dartford, Kent, despite the comedian previously making headlines for joking about gipsies, the Holocaust, people with Down’s Syndrome, 9/11 and dwarfism, among others.
He has also previously joked about deafness, quipping: ‘Deafness is getting to be quite a problem for me, and I never thought I’d hear myself say that.’
The blurb for his current tour, Laughs Funny, even includes the disclaimer: ‘Some people are repelled by Jimmy's dark brand of comedy. This show is not for them. But if it's the kind of thing you like, then this is the kind of thing you’ll like.’
Published: 9 Mar 2024
