Comedian Jackie Mason said gay people are “persecuting more people now that anybody who ever picked on them.”

The 84-year-old stand-up and actor, who voiced Rabbi Hyman Krustofski in The Simpsons, was asked about Jerry Seinfeld’s recent comments on modern comedy audiences.

Mr Seinfeld complained that audiences, especially young people, no longer found his jokes about “gay French kings” funny because of “creepy” political correctness.

In a yet-to-broadcast interview with Aaron Klein Investigative Radio, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Mr Mason said: “Before, you couldn’t pick on homosexuals because it was bad taste, because homosexuals were a persecuted minority. Now, it’s exactly the opposite.

“Homosexuals can attack you and abuse you. And people who are in favour of same-sex marriage could abuse you, but you can’t say a word against same-sex marriage.

“The homosexuals are now in charge and if they find out you’re a heterosexual you’re afraid to walk in the street already.

“They are persecuting more people now that anybody who ever picked on them.”

He has previously been criticised for using “schvartze” – a Yiddish word considered to be a racial slur – most recently to refer to President Barack Obama.

In the interview, he went to say: “If you say any one word against a black person you are wiped out in a second. If you talk about a black person you have to be so careful.

“It used to be you couldn’t say the N-word, the N-word would put you out of business then you had to be careful. Instead of saying the N-word touch called them a black person.

“Then the word ‘black’ went out of business because you had to say ‘Negro’. Then ‘Negro’ went out of business, you had to say ‘African American.’

“Now, every day, you have to buy a paper to find out what a black person is called today.

“A black person can call you any name he wants. Free speech today is only for black people.”