John Cleese Rips ‘Simple-Minded’ Critics After Trump-Hitler Joke Sparks Fury
John Cleese hosts his show Dinosaur Hour on “anti-woke” network GB News. (Screengrab via GB News/Youtube)
Comedic legend and GB News host John Cleese hit back at critics after sparking backlash by comparing former U.S. President Donald Trump with Nazi German dictator Adolf Hitler.
The revered 83-year-old comedian and actor known for his work in the Monty Python troupe and 1970s sitcom Fawlty Towers took to X Tuesday to list “Five ways that Hitler was preferable to Trump.”
He cited Hitler’s service in his country’s military, his avoidance of teleprompters, kindness to dogs, authoring his own books, and not playing golf. He then provocatively contrasted this with “Five ways Trump is preferable to Hitler” leaving three of the five reasons blank, implicitly suggesting a lack of redeeming qualities.
The post was quickly inundated with comments from users and fans expressing their shock and disappointment.
John, I love you and your volumes of work, but disappointed in this tweet. It's low hanging fruit and something a 15 yr old keyboard warrior would write not one of the greatest comedic minds of the past 100 years.
— Dark Rum with Coke (@Darkrumwithcoke) December 27, 2023
It seems like you're saying that you prefer Hitler to Trump, fyi.
— Carl Benjamin (@Sargon_of_Akkad) December 27, 2023
As the backlash intensified, Cleese initially appeared to backtrack, apologising for what he called a “very bad joke,” especially considering the timing on Boxing Day. However, he soon doubled down, re-sharing critical comments and defending his stance.
In response to criticisms, Cleese lamented the lack of understanding from the “simple-minded,” emphasising that his tweet was a joke and criticising those who couldn’t grasp the context. He also suggested that those unable to get it unfollow him.
This isn’t the first time Cleese has found himself in hot water over Hitler references. In 2021, he withdrew from a speaking event at the Cambridge Union in a preemptive protest after the debating society banned art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon for impersonating Hitler. Cleese, who famously impersonated Hitler in an episode of Fawlty Towers, announced his self-blacklisting on Twitter, highlighting the absurdity of “woke rules.”
