Actor John Cleese is facing backlash in social media for his comparison of Donald Trump to Hitler. He claims it was all just a joke.

He posted a controversial joke on X (formerly Twitter) on Boxing Day. Comparing an individual to Adolf Hitler usually never ends well. This one is no exception, as the joke rubbed many of Cleese’s social media followers the wrong way. Cleese has issued several responses, including trolling those who took his post too seriously.

Take a look for yourself:

Five ways that Hitler was preferable to Trump

1. He fought for his country
2. He never used a teleprompter
3. He was nice to dogs
4. He wrote his own books
5. He never played golf
6. He wasn't a big fat slob

Five ways Trump is preferable to Hitler

1. He doesn't practice…

— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) December 27, 2023

Cleese knew it wouldn’t land well and tried to get out in front of the inevitable backlash. He apologized almost immediately. According to the timestamps of the two tweets, the apology was posted 10 minutes after the initial post.

I would like to apologise for my last tweet

It was a very bad joke, especially on Boxing Day

— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) December 27, 2023

Cleese fell back on the use of the word ‘context’ when it came to explaining his post was just a joke. He sounds like an Ivy League university president.

“It seems like you’re saying that you prefer Hitler to Trump,” one follower responded to Cleese. The comedian fired back: “The literal minded are always with us. It’s a shame, because they miss so much.”

Another follower wrote to Cleese: “I mean the genocide one sorta brazenly overshadows all of the first list, doesn’t it?” He responded: “Ah! You spotted the weakness in my thinking Really smart…”

“We must never forget that the literal-minded have no grasp of context,” Cleese later posted in response to a fan who wrote amid the backlash: “John is a comedian. This is meant to be a joke.”

He told one follower to just not follow him anymore.

Some people thought it was very funny

But they have a sense of context

Easily solved.

Just don't follow me any more https://t.co/Bmrvjm71dI

— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) December 27, 2023

The tweet has over 2.5M views.

The 84-year-old Cleese has never been a Trump fan. Cleese wrote a post that didn’t land well and he knew it wouldn’t. People don’t like comparisons to Hitler, common as they are, especially when it comes to Trump. Remember when George W. Bush was called Bushitler? It’s not exactly an original idea. He apologized, yet he doubled down on making excuses. He blamed his followers for criticizing him. It’s all a hot mess.

Cleese is an entertainer and craves attention. He got it. Trump supporters are mostly accustomed to such things, especially on social media. Nothing is too outlandish for a Trump critic to say. Cleese is the latest entertainer to find out that people are growing tired of it all.