'That was a s*** joke': Aussie disability advocate slams comedian over ‘extremely insensitive’ behaviour

Comedy clubs are places where people go to laugh, let their hair down, and forget about life’s worries for a while.

Yet, sometimes, jokes hit a little too close to home, and that’s exactly what happened recently at a comedy club.


At the Moth Club in Hackney, London, a routine show turned into a heated exchange when an Aussie disability campaigner had a debate with a British comedian.

Carmen Azzopardi, an advocate for people living with disabilities, was an audience member for Paul Foot’s stand-up set.

What seemed to be a fun-light-hearted show, took a sudden turn.

According to a video Carmen later shared online, Foot went into a lengthy comedic bit about Type 1 diabetes.


compressed-Paul Foot.jpeg
Comedian Paul Foot was doing a show in a local pub in London. Image Credit: TikTok/Carmen Azzopardi


Foot had complete jokes about glucose monitors and mimicking a patient’s hypoglycaemic attacks.

The comedian also suggested that people who struggle with their medical tech are 'idiots' who 'don’t know how to use their technology'.

Foot reportedly claimed that diabetics had a 'victim mentality' and that diabetes itself 'isn’t a real illness'.

For Carmen, a Type 1 diabetes patient herself, the jokes were a step too far.


In the middle of Paul Foot’s show, Carmen Azzopardi called him out from the audience.

'That was a s*** joke,’ she exclaimed.

‘I have Type 1 diabetes, that was extremely insensitive and mis-informative.'

‘I don’t think it’s up to you to decide if it’s insensitive or not,’ she continued.

The comedian, not one to back down, insisted that he was not insensitive and argued that 'comedy is subjective'.

'Due to the failure of you to grasp that simple intellectual point, cause you fail to grasp the difference between these issues, cause of that it’s ending in an awkward way,' Foot stated.

He also told the audience that Carmen was on the 'emotional side' of an 'intellectual argument'.

Carmen later described the incident as 'deeply embarrassing' for the comedian.

Listen to Carmen's full story here:

Source: @zigs_mom/TikTok

‘It’s probably one of the most blatant acts of ableism that I have ever personally experienced since being diagnosed with this illness, because that’s what it is, it’s an illness, not a punch line to a joke,’ Carmen stated.

‘I’ve never heckled/interrupted/called out during a show before but this was absolutely beyond disgusting and someone needed to say something.’

The incident quickly made rounds online and sparked a lively debate among onlookers.

Aussie radio host Abbie Chatfield praised Carmen for standing up for herself and others.

'What a f******loser…What is this niche diabetes beef?’ Chatfield asked.

‘Well done for standing up for yourself and others, queen.'

Others questioned the comedian for focusing so much on diabetes.

'Did someone with diabetes break up with him? This is such a random gripe to have,' one asked.


However, not everyone was on Carmen’s side.

Some argued that comedy was meant to push boundaries.

'I understand how insensitive that must have felt, but isn’t this what comedy shows and satire is?’ one asked.

‘It’s joking and making fun of sometimes serious topics.'

'While I admit his jokes definitely weren’t funny I don’t agree with the, “You’re so brave standing up” culture,’ another quipped.

‘I was at a gig where someone kicked off a joke aimed at wearing glasses, it’s a joke, it's not real.’

‘If you are offended by jokes, even bad ones, just don’t go to comedy shows,' they concluded.

This incident raised important questions about comedy’s role in society.

Should comedians be free to joke about anything, or are there some topics that should be off-limits?

Is it fair to expect people living with chronic illnesses to 'take a joke', or do we need to be more mindful of the impact our words can have?

Comedy is subjective; what makes one person laugh might make another cringe.

Perhaps the best comedy is the kind that brings us together, rather than driving us apart.
Key Takeaways

  • Australian disability campaigner Carmen Azzopardi confronted British comedian Paul Foot over ‘insensitive and misinformed’ jokes about Type 1 diabetes.
  • Azzopardi interrupted the show and labelled Foot’s jokes as 's***' for diminishing a genuine illness.
  • Paul Foot defended his material by saying 'comedy is subjective', and criticised Azzopardi for making the end of his set 'awkward' for the audience.
  • The incident sparked divided opinions online, with some praising the campaigner for speaking up, while others argued that people should not take offence at comedy shows.
We would love to hear your thoughts about this issue! Have you ever been at a show where a joke went too far? Do you think some topics should be off-limits in comedy, or is everything fair game? Share your opinions with us in the comments below!
 

Seniors Discount Club

Sponsored content

Info
Loading data . . .
Comedian’s do push buttons and boundaries and have since the beginning of time. If you’re sensitive don’t go . All of a sudden it’s the done thing to go to a show disagree and start yelling out and disrupting said show and everyone is supposed to be ok with that.
Meanwhile other people have had their night ruined as well!
Stay home and be mad at the TV !
Partially agree. If you go to a show and it is sprung on you I can understand the upset.
 
So what is everybody's take on Jimmy Carr's 2012 Nexflix special where he took aim at Holocaust victims and survivors?

Can't wait for the "oh....buts".
Didn’t see it, but no oh buts.they are entitled to be inappropriate or speak on triggering subjects , however people are entitled to have a go at them in return.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sherril54
Didn’t see it, but no oh buts.they are entitled to be inappropriate or speak on triggering subjects , however people are entitled to have a go at them in return.
Back in the late 1970s, our sporting club hired a well known comedian who was abusive towards women in the audience.

Trouble was some of audience had a sharper wit than the Pommie flog and he subsequently pulled the pin and stormed off stage with his tail between his legs. His booking fee was withheld.

His name was Johnny Pace.
 
  • Wow
  • Like
Reactions: 7777 and Sherril54
I remember going to see comedian "Steady Eddie" who has cerebral palsy.
His whole show was poking fun at himself.
Telling jokes about silly thing's that happened to him during his childhood, how his mum didn't need a washing machine. She just put the washing in the bath with him, etc.
The whole show was hysterical and he had turned his disability into a career.
That's thinking outside the box.
He was a forklift drive for the Navy at Zetland and proud of it, channel 9 turned up one day thinking that they could just turn up a reporter and camera expecting to just walk walk in and interview him at work. They were sorely disappointed when turned away.
 
So what is everybody's take on Jimmy Carr's 2012 Nexflix special where he took aim at Holocaust victims and survivors?

Can't wait for the "oh....buts".
Jimmy Carr picks his audience, he runs a few jokes by them first to judge which way he is going to insult the audience. Anybody who goes to his shows should be well aware of this before attending.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Sherril54
Jimmy Carr picks his audience, he runs a few jokes by them first to judge which way he is going to insult the audience. Anybody who goes to his shows should be well aware of this before attending.
Just watching him on the SBS show "8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown" makes me cringe. He is as funny as a case of genital herpes. The way he laughs at himself is nothing short of vomit inducing.
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: 7777 and Sherril54
Just watching him on the SBS show "8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown" makes me cringe. He is as funny as a case of genital herpes. The way he laughs at himself is nothing short of vomit inducing.
Yes the laugh is an annoying thing, and he isn't my cup of tea, but there are even worse comedians out there. I personally prefer the likes of Robin Williams, George Carlin and Dave Allen, unfortunately they have all passed.
 
Yes the laugh is an annoying thing, and he isn't my cup of tea, but there are even worse comedians out there. I personally prefer the likes of Robin Williams, George Carlin and Dave Allen, unfortunately they have all passed.
My favourites (in no particular order) are Billy Connolly, Jim Jefferies and Rodney Dangerfield.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sherril54
My favourites (in no particular order) are Billy Connolly, Jim Jefferies and Rodney Dangerfield.
I have to admit, I didn't know who Jim Jefferies was until my grandson told me to google him, pleasantly surprised. Took me a while to understand Billy Connolly, he had such a broad Glasgow accent I really thought he was speaking another language. Rodney Dangerfield, never really took to him at all, he was more a guys comedian like the three stooges and keystone cops.
 
This is not comedy, this is making fun of people with an illness. It is easy for the comedian to laugh at people with an illness because he has no empathy, he does not know the pain and difficulties that one with an illness has to manage every day of their lives.
My daughter who has Type 1 diabetes, had a very sad experience in high school. After her teacher saw her injecting with an insulin pen, she was asked how often does she need to inject. After my daughter told her 3 times during the day and once before bed time, the teacher stared at my daughter and said in a loud enough voice for the students that were present to hear, * gee you must feel like a junkie injecting so many times *. This comment almost brought my daughter to tears. When my daughter told what her teacher said, I went to the principle to make a formal complaint. The next day the teacher approached my daughter ànd expressed her apology for the insensitive comment about the insulin pen.
I also emailed to the Department of Education what was said to my daughter by her teacher regarding the insulin injection that my daughter took in class.
I also made a suggestion that every teacher should be educated with the knowledge of type 1 diabetes, and also be mindful of how and what they say to students with type 1 diabetes, who have to inject themselves several times a day with insulin for the rest of their lives in order to stay alive.
This comedian should visit the hospital's and see what happens to people with type 1 diabetes, when they can't or don't manage their blood glucose levels correctly and it reaches high levels, for long periods of time.
This comedian doesn't laugh with the audience, he laughs at the audience, shame on him and his low class comedy act. 🙏🦋
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Josephine B
Comedian’s do push buttons and boundaries and have since the beginning of time. If you’re sensitive don’t go . All of a sudden it’s the done thing to go to a show disagree and start yelling out and disrupting said show and everyone is supposed to be ok with that.
Meanwhile other people have had their night ruined as well!
Stay home and be mad at the TV !
Dear member SueLewi I respect your opinion totally, but when people in the audience suffer a life threatening autoimmune disease like type 1 diabetes, there is nothing absolutely nothing funny about the illness. When you live with someone who has Type 1 diabetes, then you will realise that if one don't manage the illness correctly, it can be life threatening.
I am sure if this comedian had a family member who had type 1 diabetes, he would be ashamed and would reframe from making jokes about the illness.
Don't mistake type 1 diabetes with tyoe 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a life threatening autoimmune disease, that is incurable and requires life long, several daily insulin injections for the rest of one's life. Where as, Type 2 diabetes is not life threatening, and can be managed with tablet form medication.
Good Karma to you always, God bless, 🙏🦋
 
Dear member Veggiepatch, this is the best post this evening, good Karma to you always, God bless, 🙏🦋
 

Join the conversation

News, deals, games, and bargains for Aussies over 60. From everyday expenses like groceries and eating out, to electronics, fashion and travel, the club is all about helping you make your money go further.

Seniors Discount Club

The SDC searches for the best deals, discounts, and bargains for Aussies over 60. From everyday expenses like groceries and eating out, to electronics, fashion and travel, the club is all about helping you make your money go further.
  1. New members
  2. Jokes & fun
  3. Photography
  4. Nostalgia / Yesterday's Australia
  5. Food and Lifestyle
  6. Money Saving Hacks
  7. Offtopic / Everything else
  • We believe that retirement should be a time to relax and enjoy life, not worry about money. That's why we're here to help our members make the most of their retirement years. If you're over 60 and looking for ways to save money, connect with others, and have a laugh, we’d love to have you aboard.
  • Advertise with us

User Menu

Enjoyed Reading our Story?

  • Share this forum to your loved ones.
Change Weather Postcode×
Change Petrol Postcode×