Jimmy Carr explains why he hasn't seen his dad in 21 years: "My father's dead to me"

2 November 2021, 11:33 | Updated: 2 November 2021, 11:39

By Radio X

@RadioX

The comedian has opened up about being estranged from his father in a new interview and why he hasn't seen him for 21 years.

Jimmy Carr has spoken about his lack of a relationship with his father in a new interview.

The 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown host has been estranged from his father Patrick for 21 years, which he admitted comes across as “cold," but is convinced it is still the best decision for him and his wellbeing.

Speaking to Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe on their Parenting Hell podcast, the comedian said: “I haven’t seen my father in 21 years and you know the line, ‘My mother’s dead and my father’s dead to me’ – which sounds very cold, until you meet the guy. I can’t have that guy in my life.”

The comedian welcomed his first child with long-term partner Karoline Copping in 2019 and spoke about worrying he could repeat the same relationship dynamic he had with his father with his own son.

The 49-year-old mused : “You worry, ‘Could something go wrong with my kid?’ You want to prevent that, but it’s hard.”

READ MORE: Jimmy Carr tells Chris Moyles all about his new hair transplant

Carr might not have a great relationship with his own father, but he has talked to Radio X's Chris Moyles about how it feels to become a dad with his long-term partner Karoline Copping later on in life.

Jimmy Carr on becoming a father later in life

"It's joyful. It's really lovely," he told Moyles. "There's a lovely quote about it which is, 'It's like having a medical procedure where your heart now lives outside of your body'. It's lovely."

READ MORE: Jimmy Carr thought he'd lef becoming a dad too late

The couple’s son is called Rockefeller, which Carr explained comes from the Standard Oil mogul John. D Rockefeller and fellow comic Chris Rock, who he dubbed "the greatest ever comedian."

Carr wrote his part-memoir, part-self-help book Before and Laughter over lockdown and explained how being middle-aged makes him have a “moral duty” to reflect on his life so far.

He explained: "I’m in my late 40s, and I view this as half-time in my life. We’ve cut up the oranges and we’re looking at how we’ve done in the first half.

"I feel we all have a moral duty – and, if a publisher gives you an advance, a contractual obligation – to reflect on your life, especially as I’ve recently become a father for the first time."