Jimmy Carr

No joke is truly offensive because the intent of a joke makes it benign

There's a big kind of intellectual theory around this about benign violation and the idea that no joke is offensive because it's a joke. Because as soon as you put it in that space where you go, okay, it's cancer... But as soon as you make a joke about it, you put it into a space where you go, it's benign. It's actually, it's okay, and it's got no power over us.

Laughter is older than language by a million years

I did a documentary for the BBC... about laughter. Laughter predates language by about a million years. It's a totally different part of the throat that we use to laugh. Laughter was essentially remote grooming.

Individualism is a relatively new and terrifying concept for human beings

We've never been more connected... And the reason podcasts, I think, are so huge is because people are desperate for conversation... We're built to live in tribes... The idea of individualism is comparatively new and terrifying. It just doesn't work for human beings. We feel incredibly alienated.

Comedians should never apologize for a joke

You never have to apologize for a joke. Just on policy, you go, well, I was standing on stage saying that to make people laugh. I'm a drug dealer is what I do for a living. I'm trying to get people [endorphins].