Inside Jimmy Carr’s life from health battle to feud with estranged dad

Jimmy Carr has enjoyed a successful career as a comedian and TV presenter for over two decades, but his life off-screen has been marred by a number of controversies

Controversial British comedian Jimmy Carr is set to return to our screens with the new Prime Video series Last One Laughing. The show sees Jimmy Carr challenging 10 of Britain’s top comics to spend a day together without cracking a smile.

The rules are straightforward: if you laugh, you’re out. Jimmy Carr will be joined by a variety of guests and provide his own commentary and quick-witted remarks.

The first four episodes will be available from Thursday (March 20), with the final two episodes launching exclusively on Prime Video on Thursday, March 27.

This is the latest venture for the comedian, who kick-started his career in 1997 and later became a staple on Channel 4 with shows like 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and My Big Fat Quiz of the Year.

Beyond his stand-up career, Jimmy Carr has faced numerous challenges, including health issues and fatherhood, but also enjoys a tranquil life with his family.

Jimmy Carr was ‘close to death’ after battling a life-threatening infection as a child

The Mirror reports the 52 year old comedian was diagnosed with meningitis as a toddler. This left him ‘close to death’ due to the immense strain it put on his body.

Jimmy Carr has opened up about a harrowing childhood experience that left him hospitalised with meningitis in Ireland at the tender age of three. Recounting the ordeal on Kathy Burke’s podcast ‘Where There’s A Will, There’s A Wake’, the comedian shared how he narrowly escaped death and how it instilled in him a profound gratitude for life.

Jimmy recalled: “You’ve got to be cruel to be kind … I think that is the first thing I ever said that my mother thought was funny. I had meningitis when I was a child. So my first memory is a lumbar puncture in Limerick in the General hospital. I was three, I think, and … I was always told it was very close to death.

“The doctor sort of went, ‘It’s going to be very painful.’ And somehow I’d heard the phrase, and I went, ‘You’ve got to be cruel to be kind,’ in a little child’s voice. And I kind of appreciated that thing of life, because I was always told, ‘Oh, you nearly didn’t make it.'”.

Jimmy Carr’s long-standing feud with estranged dad

The star, who grew up in Farnham Common and Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, also touched upon his strained relationship with his father. Following the death of his mother Nora from pancreatitis in 2001, Jimmy ceased communication with his dad.

The family feud escalated when, as reported by the Mirror in 2022, Jim Carr Sr intended to sue his son for defamation.

Jim Carr Snr, estranged from his son for over two decades, is considering legal action after the release of his son’s memoir, “Before and Laughter”. A family insider stated: “The last thing Jim wanted to do was take his own son to court, but enough is enough.”

They continued, “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.”

On a podcast in 2021, discussing his father, Jimmy Carr mentioned: “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.”

Inside Jimmy Carr’s tax scandal

During the infamous tax scandal involving Jimmy Carr in 2012, he received heavy backlash. Reflecting on the ordeal and his subsequent actions, Jimmy acknowledged his wrongdoing, admitting, “I was publicly shamed for tax avoidance and it was very clear what I had to do: say sorry and pay it back. I didn’t have to….”

He explained his decision further by saying, “It was as if I’d been on PAYE all the way through. I did that, and then people took the p**s, which is the modern equivalent of being in the stocks. I took a tomato to the face from Sean Lock.”

In jest, Sean Lock commented on ‘8 Out of 10 Cats’: “We all like to put a bit of money away for a rainy day, but I think you’re more prepared than Noah.”

Who is Jimmy Carr’s partner?

Jimmy and Karoline Copping have been a couple since their paths crossed in 2001, yet they haven’t tied the knot. Karoline, hailing from Canada, works as a commissioning editor for Channel 5, and their first encounter was during a TV interview at auditions back in 2001.

The duo is raising two children, with their son Rockefeller, born in 2019, being named after the legendary American tycoon John D. Rockefeller.

When quizzed about whether becoming a dad has mellowed him, Jimmy shared with Radio Times: “It could be a bit of a gear shift, because of the kind of comedy I do.”

He continued, “But so far, I’m still telling the same jokes, I’ve got the same sense of humour. We’ll see because I’m sure I’m going to be writing a lot of material about him. In fact, I think he might be tax-deductible.”

Last One Laughing will be released on Prime Video from Thursday (March 20)