Comedian John Cleese mocks critics of his viral Hitler joke: 'Never tried to amuse the simple-minded'
Comedian and actor John Cleese fired back at critics online after he went viral for a joke post comparing former President Trump to Adolf Hitler.
Cleese shared a post on X Tuesday listing five ways that "Hitler was preferable to Trump," which included that Hitler "fought for his country," "never used a teleprompter," "wrote his own books" and "wasn't a big fat slob."
On Trump's end, Cleese gave just two examples of the former president being superior to Hitler, including that he "doesn't practice genocide" and "has nicer hair."
Cleese acknowledged the backlash to his post, which has received over 2.3 million views on X alone. "I would like to apologize for my last tweet," he wrote, adding that "[i]t was a very bad joke, especially on Boxing Day."
Boxing Day is a holiday traditionally celebrated the day after Christmas and originates in Britain.
While some commentators wrote that they appreciated Cleese's joke, others argued with Cleese online.
"Never bend a knee to the woke mob," Free Cities Foundation administrative assistant Natalie Danelishen told Cleese.
Cleese highlighted several responses to his original post on his X account.
"I love your comedy, but concerning political wisdom you are still at the level of using weight scales to determine if she is a witch," one user wrote.
Cleese directly responded to one post from Carl Benjamin, a popular YouTuber and political commentator who is also known as the online personality "Sargon of Akkad."
"It seems like you're saying that you prefer Hitler to Trump, fyi," Benjamin told Cleese.
"The literal minded are always with us It's a shame, because they miss so much," the comedian wrote back.
Benjamin then warned Cleese that the people he should be most concerned about are the same people that he "pander[s] to with your joke at Trump's expense," since they will also "cancel you for the joke when they decide they are tired of you."
"Trump did a pretty good job, he was just uncouth," Benjamin added.
Cleese also wrote that he wrote the post because he has "never tried to amuse the simple-minded."
Cleese has previously received backlash on X, then known as Twitter, for a post he made on the global practice of slavery.
"I think it's untrue to suggest that European countries invented slavery," Cleese told his over 5 million followers in January.
"The pyramids were not built by independent contractors. Nor by volunteers," he added. "Sadly, this disgusting practice has always been a worldwide phenomenon. Suggesting otherwise looks to me like a form of racism.
Representatives for Trump and Cleese did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.