Comedian Jimmy Carr has found himself in trouble once again over a joke released on a Netflix comedy special.
The 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown host made a joke in reference to the deaths of Romani Gypsies during the Holocaust, in which millions of people died - including between 200,000 and 500,000 Roma and Sinti people - and it has since received backlash from MPs and the public alike.
Celebrity Big Brother winner Paddy Doherty demanded the police probe Jimmy over his "disgusting" joke about Gypsies in Carr's Netflix special 'His Dark Material'.
He said: "That wasn’t a joke. He’s talking about mass murder being a positive – would he be allowed to say this about black people killed by the Ku Klux Klan?"
Carr has defended the joke, saying that he is "going down swinging".
Comedians often find themselves in a bit of hot water when some of their jokes are deemed to have gone 'too far' and it isn't the only time the no-punches-pulled funny-man has caused controversy.
What did Jimmy Carr say about the Holocaust?
Offensive jokes are often argued over as some believe they should be banned altogether, while others argue that jokes have protection under free speech laws and are often taken out of context.
Ultimately, the argument generally occurs over where the line should be drawn.
In the clip, the comedian said: "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."
Carr then says the punchline: "No one ever talks about that because no one wants to talk about the positives."
Fellow comedian and "close friend" David Baddiel condemned the joke.
He said: "You can obviously tell a Holocaust joke that is cruel and inhumane and mean-spirited and racist. Or you can tell one that targets the oppressors, or draws attention to the fundamental evil of it, or shines a light on the humanity of the victims.
"I said this every night during my Trolls: Not The Dolls tour as part of a bit arguing that it’s not the subject matter of a joke that counts, it’s the specifics of the individual joke. Clearly, Jimmy Carr’s was the former."
Carr has had a few jokes that caused a bit of a stir, including one about war veterans becoming Paralympians. In 2009, he said: "Say what you like about those servicemen amputees from Iraq and Afghanistan, but we're going to have a f*****g good Paralympic team in 2012."
Jimmy Carr tax avoidance
In 2012, Carr was revealed by The Times to have taken part in a tax avoidance scheme.
The 49-year-old said he "made a terrible error of judgement" after using the scheme known as 'K2'.
The affair even earned him condemnation from David Cameron, who said it was "morally wrong".
Carr apologised and did not make light of it at the time, but he has since done so.
He said: "As this is obviously a serious matter. I met with a financial advisor and he said to me 'Do you want to pay less tax? It's totally legal'. I said 'Yes'."
"I now realise I've made a terrible error of judgement. Although I've been advised the K2 Tax scheme is entirely legal, and has been fully disclosed to HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs).
"I'm no longer involved in it and will in future conduct my financial affairs much more responsibly. Apologies to everyone."
What is Jimmy Carr's net worth?
Jimmy Carr is estimated by Celebrity Net Worth to have around £25 million to his name.
With a hugely successful stand-up career behind him, his comedy on Netflix and regular gigs presenting on TV, Carr has earned himself a sizeable fortune.
Carr has also featured in films such as Confetti and Stormbreaker, both in 2006.
The comedian is now based in North London and lives with partner Karoline Copping; the two got together in 2001.
