Victoria Coren Mitchell clarifies view on ‘racist’ Jimmy Carr joke after supporting comedian

‘I wasn’t defending the joke,’ the quiz show host said

Victoria Coren Mitchell has said she was “only trying to do what’s right” after supporting Jimmy Carr.

On Saturday (6 February), the author and Only Connect host addressed the backlash received by Carr for a Holocaust joke about travellers that’s been branded “racist”.

The 8 Out of 10 Cats host made the comment during a Netflix stand-up special titled His Dark Material, in which he 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 added: “No one ever talks about that because no one wants to talk about the positives.”

The comedian has been widely criticised for the joke, with several MPs and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust calling on the streaming service to remove it.

On Monday (7 February), a spokesperson for Boris Johnson condemned the joke and said that legislation was being pushed through to make streaming services more accountable for potentially dangerous content on their platforms.

Meanwhile, Carr’s “close friend” David Baddiel called the joke “indefensible” and “mean-spirited”.

Coren Mitchell, though, tweeted her support of Carr, writing: “While I’m here, might take a moment to mention I also love @JimmyCarr, a close friend who’s made about a thousand jokes I wouldn’t make myself, as a stage performer, but as a man is full of goodness and kindness. He’s a properly decent person.”

Victoria Coren Mitchell said she was doing what she ‘thinks is right’ in supporting Jimmy Carr (BBC)

Her tweet was met with derision from her followers, with Alma’s Not Normal creator and star Sophie Willan replying: “Not about that though is it. Who cares if he’s your mate. His rhetoric is gross and any small support of this is racist in my opinion.”

Following her own backlash, Coren Mitchell attempted to clarify her stance, writing on Sunday (6 February): “In traditional fashion I’m not going to look at Twitter for a few days, so I’m sorry if I miss things. You can only try and do what you think is right in any situation.”

She then shared a quote by writer EM Forster: “If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.”

Coren Mitchell added: “I wasn’t defending the joke. Have a lovely Sunday, and see you at some point for lighter exchanges.”

Victoria Coren Mitchell addressed backlash to her Jimmy Carr support on Twitter (Twitter)

Carr is yet to officially comment on the controversy, but addressed the furore during a stand-up set on Saturday (5 February)after being heckled by an audience member.

The Independent has contacted Carr and Netflix for comment.