James Anthony Patrick "Jimmy" Carr, Jr. (born 15 September 1972) is an English stand-up comedian, television host and actor, known for his signature laugh, deadpan delivery, dark humour, and use of edgy one-liners. He is also a writer, actor, and presenter of radio and television. Carr moved to a career in comedy in 2000 and has become a successful comedian. After becoming established as a stand-up comedian, Carr began to appear in a number of Channel 4 television shows, becoming the host of the panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats and also The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, a comedy panel show that airs in late December to review the past year.

Biography

At age 26, he had what he calls "an early midlife crisis", during which he lost his Catholic faith. He has since made comments critical of organised religion. Carr has stated that he underwent a lot of psychotherapy (specifically neuro-linguistic programming) at the time of his crisis in order to help him cope with his loss of faith, and that he has qualified as a therapist.

Carr lives in north London with his girlfriend, Karoline Copping, a commissioning editor for Channel 5, whom he has been with since 2001.


Legal issues with Carr's father
After becoming a widower, Carr's father remarried in 2003. In March 2004, Carr's father was arrested by the Metropolitan Police after Jimmy and Colin Carr accused their father of harassment. Their father was later acquitted of all charges and awarded costs by the Court. His acquittal was followed by a written apology from the CPS. Later, the Metropolitan Police apologised and paid him substantial damages in an out-of-court settlement for the arrest and prosecution.