John Cleese apologises after making Hitler joke on Boxing Day

Fawlty Towers star, John Cleese, has sparked outrage online after sharing a joke about Adolf Hitler on Boxing Day.

The comedian, 84, shared a controversial post on X - formerly Twitter - yesterday (26 December) comparing the tyrannical Nazi leader to former President Donald Trump and weighing up the pros and cons of them both.

Cleese has long been a vocal critic of Trump and previously said he had 'compulsive attention-seeking and extreme narcissism', but his 5.5million followers weren't laughing at the latest swipe he directed towards the US politician.

He later issued an apology after being met by a host of backlash, saying: "I would like to apologise for my last tweet. It was a very bad joke, especially on Boxing Day."

But the Monty Python star then defended his problematic post by saying that some people who 'have a sense of context thought it was very funny', and told those who weren't amused to simply unfollow him.

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The joke read: "Five ways that Hitler was preferable to Trump. 1. He fought for his country. 2. He never used a teleprompter. 3. He was nice to dogs. 4. He wrote his own books. 5. He never played golf. 6. He wasn't a big fat slob."

It then continued: "Five ways Trump is preferable to Hitler. 1. He doesn't practice genocide. 2. He has nicer hair."

Part of Cleese's pun was obviously that he couldn't think of three other things he preferred about Trump to the dictator.

His gag went viral after enraging a host of social media users, although some said people needed to lighten up.

One person wrote: "I remember when you were funny. So long ago."

Another said: "Guys. John is a comedian. This is meant to be a joke."

KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images

A third added: "This is not a good take. At all."

A fourth added: "Reading the comments, I've found not many people can read jokes well. You're a legend, Mr Cleese!"

And a fifth chimed in: "Your best days in comedy are obviously behind you."

Cleese said it 'was the jester's job' to walk on thin ice in the comedy sphere, regardless of whether people like his sense of humour or not.

He told people not to 'hold their breath' if they were hoping for him to delete the joke, before adding: "Receiving insults from the literal minded is like being booed by a flock of sheep."

The Rat Race actor also reshared several posts from supporters who saw the funny side of his joke.

LADbible has reached out to John Cleese for comment.

Topics: Celebrity, Donald Trump, Social Media, TV and Film, UK News

Olivia Burke

Olivia is a journalist at LADbible Group with more than five years of experience and has worked for a number of top publishers, including News UK. She also enjoys writing food reviews (as well as the eating part). She is a stereotypical reality TV addict, but still finds time for a serious documentary.

@livburke_