Comedian Jimmy Carr’s ‘vile’ joke at deaf audience member causes outrage

Comedian Jimmy Carr has caused outrage after a deaf woman was left “absolutely insulted” by a punchline to his joke.

The British-Irish comedian made what some described as “vile” jokes about deaf people while performing at Orchard West Theatre in Kent, in the southeast of England, in a warm-up show before his upcoming tour.

Carly Ahlen, 44, told Metro the stand-up comedian used his platform to “put down those who have a tough life”.

She said the controversial comedian picked her out of the front row because she was wearing a beret, asking her why she was wearing it.

“I used my right hand to lift my beret, exposing my hearing aid. I hoped he was at least a decent guy and would move on, knowing I was deaf. It didn’t work. It had the opposite effect as I was like a sitting deaf duck now,” she said.

She said she was using a transcribing app on her phone to read what Carr was saying during the set.

He then addressed Ahlen again and asked if she was going to “call for backup from the French Resistance”, she says.

‘Then, he was talking about how you can say anything about deaf people because they can’t hear you,’ she told Metro. ‘I was shocked – this isn’t comedy!’

“Comedy is an amazing tool for progressive change, yet Jimmy decided to use his platform to put down those who have a tough life,” she said.

“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,” she said, according to Metro.

The comedian is no stranger to criticism for his “controversial jokes.”

In 2019, while filming content for another show, he was slammed for making jokes about fat women and female genital mutilation.

Then in 2022, he again made what some deemed to be “offensive” comments about the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community.

He had also made previous jokes about deafness, telling an audience in 2018 he received complaints for saying “deafness is getting to be quite a problem for me, and I never thought I’d hear myself say that.”