Showbiz
Jimmy Carr on religion: I had an imaginary friend called Jesus - video
Published Friday, Nov 25 2011, 17:15 GMT | By Mayer Nissim and Chris Allen | 2 comments
Jimmy Carr has said that it feels like looking back on a different person when he recalls his young life as a Catholic.
The stand-up comedian also told Digital Spy that his jokes about religion have "no message" and that the material is in fact only acceptable because of its lack of agenda.
Carr said: "I believed. I genuinely had an imaginary friend called Jesus until I was 26. Looking back on it now it was almost like being a different person.
"It's a slight sadness. People never talk about losing one's faith, but it's a sad thing. You sort of miss it. Everything is worked out for you. If you're a Catholic, your morality is handed to you in one easy package.
"When you throw that away, it's very easy to throw the baby out with the bathwater and to think, well, I can do anything now."
He added: "Actually my show has no message. That's one of the key things with my stand-up. There's no message in it.
"You wouldn't believe how little I care about what you believe. Good luck, if it makes you happy - great. But I'm not trying to change your opinion on anything.
"I'm not making a point about anything. It's very important that I'm not making a point because if I was trying to make a point, if I had a political agenda, it wouldn't be acceptable. But just because it's a joke, it's acceptable."
Carr, who was recently criticised for making a joke about Down's syndrome, said earlier this month that he never feels guilty about his material.
He nevertheless apologised for the "bad timing" of a Twitter joke with a car crash punchline, which he made days after a major traffic accident on the M5.
Carr was recently named by Digital Spy readers as the fifth-best British stand-up working today.
> Watch Jimmy Carr talking to us about comedy, offence and Twitter
Jimmy Carr's new DVD Being Funny is available on DVD now. Watch a trailer below:
The stand-up comedian also told Digital Spy that his jokes about religion have "no message" and that the material is in fact only acceptable because of its lack of agenda.
Carr said: "I believed. I genuinely had an imaginary friend called Jesus until I was 26. Looking back on it now it was almost like being a different person.
"It's a slight sadness. People never talk about losing one's faith, but it's a sad thing. You sort of miss it. Everything is worked out for you. If you're a Catholic, your morality is handed to you in one easy package.
"When you throw that away, it's very easy to throw the baby out with the bathwater and to think, well, I can do anything now."
He added: "Actually my show has no message. That's one of the key things with my stand-up. There's no message in it.
"You wouldn't believe how little I care about what you believe. Good luck, if it makes you happy - great. But I'm not trying to change your opinion on anything.
"I'm not making a point about anything. It's very important that I'm not making a point because if I was trying to make a point, if I had a political agenda, it wouldn't be acceptable. But just because it's a joke, it's acceptable."
Carr, who was recently criticised for making a joke about Down's syndrome, said earlier this month that he never feels guilty about his material.
He nevertheless apologised for the "bad timing" of a Twitter joke with a car crash punchline, which he made days after a major traffic accident on the M5.
Carr was recently named by Digital Spy readers as the fifth-best British stand-up working today.
> Watch Jimmy Carr talking to us about comedy, offence and Twitter
Jimmy Carr's new DVD Being Funny is available on DVD now. Watch a trailer below:
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