Jimmy Carr upset a deaf woman by using her as the punchline for one of his jokes.
The 8 Out of 10 Cats host, who is familiar with causing offense with his often dark humor, reportedly made ‘vile’ jokes about deaf people while performing at the Orchard West Theatre in Kent as part of a warmup run before his upcoming tour.
Carly Ahlen, 44, lost most of her hearing after serving in the army and she said she feels let down that the stand-up comedian used his platform to ‘put down those who have a tough life’.
She said the 51-year-old star, who is well-known for his controversial remarks and ‘roasting’ audience members, spotted her in the front row wearing a beret and asked why she was wearing it.
She explained: ‘I used my right hand to lift my beret, revealing my hearing aid. I hoped he would just move on, knowing I was deaf. It didn’t work. It had the opposite effect, as I felt very exposed as a deaf person now.’
Towards the end of the show, Ahlen was looking at her iPhone as she was using a transcribing app to keep track of what Carr was saying during his set.
It’s said he spoke to her again, referring to her beret and her phone and asking if she was going to ‘call for backup from the French Resistance’.
‘Then, he was talking about how you can say anything about deaf people because they can’t hear you,’ she said. ‘I was shocked – this isn’t comedy!’
The wildlife rescue specialist, who runs Dartford-based Gabo Wildlife, admitted she was left speechless after the exchange.
‘Comedy is a powerful tool for progress and change, yet Jimmy chose 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 horrible to the deaf community.’
She continued: ‘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.’
Hi Kent, a charity which supports people in the county with hearing loss, has responded and said it was sorry to hear of her experience.
A spokesperson said: ‘We at Hi Kent do all we can to promote inclusion and understanding of the challenges faced by those living with hearing loss and do not condone any lack of understanding for people with this ‘invisible disability.’
Although she did not complain to West Orchard Theatre, Ahlen has written to the British Deaf Association raising her concerns.
It is not the first time Carr has faced controversy for his style of comedy, and he has been accused of overstepping the mark the past.
In 2022 he made comments about the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller community for a Netflix special, with then-culture secretary Nadine Dorries calling that particular joke ‘abhorrent’.
That same year, he caused more surprise and anger with another line in The Best Of Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival.
In the brief video, which was recorded during the Netflix Is A Joke Comedy Festival, the 8 Out Of 10 Cats host started by expressing his wish for One Direction to perform a BTS covers medley at his funeral when he passes away, saying 'because that way, I’ll be glad I’m dead'.
'Now you might think this is silly, but I assure you, it’s absolutely true. When Zayn left One Direction, for me, it was like 9/11. Yep. I didn’t care about that either,' he then added, causing laughter and applause from the audience.
Meanwhile, he has also previously joked about deafness, telling an audience in 2018 that he had received a number of complaints for saying: 'Deafness is becoming quite a problem for me, and I never thought I’d hear myself say that.'
Metro.co.uk has reached out to Jimmy Carr’s representatives for comment.
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