Comedian Konstantin Kisin has jumped to Jimmy Carr’s defence after a controversial joke about Roma and Sinti people was made in his recent Netflix special.
The 8 Out Of 10 Cats host’s special, His Dark Material, launched on the streaming service late last year, but comments he made during the one-off have become widespread after gong viral on social media.
Making reference to the Holocaust he said people ‘never mention the thousands of Gypsies that were killed by the Nazis’ in the Holocaust, because ‘no one ever wants to talk about the positives’.
The comments were soon slammed by fellow celebs, including stand-up star David Baddiel, who is Jewish, and food writer and podcaster, Jay Rayner.
Traveller and Roma charities, anti-fascist organisations, and even Prime Minister Boris Johnson have weighed in, crticising the joke.
However, some have come to Jimmy’s defence and on Tuesday’s GMB, Jewish comedian Kisin, who said his grandfather was killed in the Holocaust, insisted he had ‘no problem’ with the remark.
Chatting to Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid on the breakfast show, he pointed out a similar joke Carr made a few years ago, adding: ‘The joke he made about Jews – my people – was, “they say there’s safety in numbers, tell that to six million Jews.”
‘There was no outrage, there was no attempt to cancel him, so if you want to have comedy in society, you’re going to have to accept everyone’s going to get picked on now and again. I’m afraid that is the way it works.’
Madeley went on to ask the comedian how he would have felt if Carr had turned the joke around and made similar remarks on Jewish people.
‘Well it depends how the joke was delivered,’ he replied. ‘I had no problem with how the first joke about the Holocaust was deliered a few years ago, I have no problem with this joke.’
Kisin added: ‘It’s part of a free society.’
On the other side of the debate was Romany gypsy and TikTok star Michael Marshall, who wanted Carr to give the community an apology.
Responding to Kisin, he said: ‘People shouldn’t have a muzzle put on their mouth… but in today’s society, people should have better sense than wanting to make jokes about the Holocaust, where people were killed.
‘You should be more grown than that as an adult. If you find that funny, I think you have a very sick sense of humour.’
It comes after Carr reportedly spoke out on the remarks himself at a recent gig last weekend.
According to The Mirror, a woman in the audience heckled Carr on Saturday and asked: ‘Are we going to talk about the Holocaust?’ to which the comic replied: ‘We are going to talk about cancel culture, the whole thing.
‘We are going to talk about f***ing everything people. Relax.’
He reportedly continued: ‘We are speaking my friends in the last chance saloon. What I am saying on stage this evening is barely acceptable now.
‘In 10 years f***ing forget about it. You are going to be able to tell your grandchildren about seeing this show tonight.’
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.
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