Jimmy Carr returns to Twitter following backlash to ‘racist’ travellers joke in Netflix special

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Jimmy Carr has divided fans with his return to Twitter amid the controversy surrounding a joke he made about the Holocaust.

The comedian – who is typically active on the social media platform – has been absent from Twitter for three weeks.

Carr had not posted since 4 February, the same day that he first attracted backlash for a joke he made about travellers and the Holocaust in his most recent Netflix special.

On Friday (25 February), the 49-year-old shared a clip from an annual game show he fronts titled Big Fat Quiz of the 80s.

Fans took to the comments to share their reactions to the comedian’s return to social media.

One user wrote: “Cheap laughs from a pathetic comment!”

Another accused Carr of “sneaking back [on Twitter] while WW3 is on”, in a reference to Russia’s ongoing attack on Ukraine.

“I thought you were ‘cancelled,’” said a third person. “You’ve not tweeted in a while Jim… where you been?” quipped one user.

Others welcomed Carr back to Twitter, writing: “Good to see you back Jimmy.”

Earlier this month, the 8 Out of 10 Cats presenter attracted widespread criticism for a joke that many people called “racist”.

In the joke – which appeared in his Netflix stand-up show His Dark Materials – Carr tells the audience: “Strap in everyone, you ready? When people talk about the Holocaust, 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 about the positive.”

Several MPs and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust criticised Carr and called upon Netflix to remove the special. A spokesperson for Boris Johnson as well as the comedian David Baddiel condemned the joke.

A few days after the backlash began, Carr appeared to respond to the criticism during a stand-up set.