Jimmy Carr’s father once threatened to sue his son over their long-standing feud.
The comedian began his career in 1997 and eventually cemented himself on Channel 4 with 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and My Big Fat Quiz of the Year. But it’s fair to say Jimmy’s dad was less than impressed at “being the butt of his jokes”.
The father-and-son have always had a fractured relationship. But in 2022, his dad took things to the next level when it was revealed by the Mirror that Jim Carr Sr was set to sue his son for defamation.
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Jim Carr Snr, who has been estranged from his son for more than 20 years, planned to call in the lawyers after reading his son’s memoir Before and Laughter, which was released in 2021. A source close to the family said at the time: “The last thing Jim wanted to do was take his own son to court, but enough is enough.
(Image: Variety via Getty Images)
“He’s sick and tired of this false characterisation of himself that is being presented. Jimmy’s snide comments about his dad have been going on for years.”
They added: “The straw that broke the camel’s back was this new book and some of the things he has been saying on podcasts. I know it’s fashionable nowadays not to get on with your father, but Jim’s had enough of the lies.
“He is a businessman and has a reputation to defend. The only way to put a stop to the nonsense is by suing for defamation.”
(Image: Getty Images)
It’s not clear whether Jim Carr Snr went ahead with the plans to sue or whether it was dropped. At the time, Jim Carr Snr said: “I have no comment to make.”
Jimmy was raised by Irish parents in Farnham Common and Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. The comedian’s mum Nora died of pancreatitis aged 57 in 2001.
It was around this time that the funnyman says he stopped speaking to his father. Jimmy, who has two children with his girlfriend Karoline Copping, previously opened up on his relationship with his estranged father.
(Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
On a podcast in 2021, he said: “I haven’t seen my dad in 21 years and you know the line, ‘My mother’s dead and my father’s dead to me’ which sounds very cold, until you meet the guy.”
But 8 Out of 10 Cats host Jimmy is used to controversy and previously sparked outrage with a joke branded “cruel and inhumane” for making light of the Holocaust. The joke featured on his Netflix special His Dark Material, which was released on Christmas Day in 2021.
Earlier this year, Jimmy told critics trying to “get [him] cancelled”, “good luck” as he discussed his latest Netflix special Natural Born Killer. During an appearance on The One Show in April, he explained: “Jokes are like magnets.
(Image: Getty Images for Bob Woodruff Foundation)
“They attract some people, people come to see me and they really enjoy their night out and we have fun, and they’re just jokes, but like magnets, jokes attract and they repel. Some people are repelled by my jokes, and they’re sat at home now, writing to Points of View, trying to get me cancelled.
“Good luck.” He added: “Criticism is fine. Cancellation is the new burning books, whereas criticism is absolutely valid, I’m not for everyone, I’m a strong flavour.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
