Jimmy Carr fears he has already told the joke that will end his comedy career

Jimmy Carr says it's likely his comedy career will be ended for a joke he has already told. (Thomas M Jackson/Getty Images)
Jimmy Carr says it's likely his comedy career will be ended for a joke he has already told. (Thomas M Jackson/Getty Images) (Thomas M Jackson via Getty Images)

Jimmy Carr believes he has probably already told the "unacceptable" joke that will force him into comedy retirement — but he doesn't know which one it is.

The 48-year-old comedian told the Daily Star that "the joke that ends my career" is definitely out there and there's nothing he can do about it.

"I’ve already told it. It’s on YouTube somewhere waiting, it’s like a landmine," he said.

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Carr added: "We don’t know which one it is. We can’t take it down because we don’t know.

"At some point one of my jokes will become so unacceptable. At the moment it’s fine, but at some stage someone will look back and go: ‘He said what? It’s over’."

The 8 Out of 10 Cats and Big Fat Quiz of the Year presenter has always been renowned for telling jokes which push boundaries and has found himself in the midst of several controversies.

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In 2019, he was criticised by charity Little People UK after he made a joke about dwarfism and abortion.

The charity said: "To potentially hear a member of the public repeat such a comment, after seeing a stand up show, can affect them for their entire life.

"This causes unnecessary distress and anxiety through no fault of the person with dwarfism, simply because they have a genetic difference.”

Carr found himself at the centre of a different sort of controversy in 2012, when he was named as a participant in a tax avoidance scheme.

He subsequently apologised and pulled out of the scheme, being roasted for it on that week's episode of 8 Out of 10 Cats and, years later, bringing it up on an episode of Room 101.

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A study in February crowned Carr as the funniest stand-up in Britain, ahead of Peter Kay, Jack Whitehall and Michael McIntyre.

The research found that Carr was able to generate four minutes and 46 seconds of laughter per hour from the audience members who took part in the study.

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