Comedian Jim Jefferies: Gun control, religion, and fighting for the right to say ‘c**t’.

Some gigs go great. Others go not so well but still become nights of legend. For Australian comedian Jim Jefferies, that time in 2006 at The Comedy Store in Manchester, England, still makes a good story. Jefferies was attacked on stage mid-set by an audience member and was heading toward a severe beating before others from the crowd rushed the stage to rescue the comic and restrain the attacker.

Jefferies left Australia at 22 years old to make it in comedy overseas and the UK was a tough proving ground. Beatings from angry hecklers aside, Jefferies also experienced a home invasion (again in Manchester). The comedian and his girlfriend were tied up, he was hit in the head with a machete, and his car was stolen. The crooks were eventually caught and charged with grievous bodily harm, robbery, attempted rape, and possession of drugs.

“‘Possession of drugs’ was brilliant because they were my drugs,” he recalls.

Jefferies now lives in Los Angeles and, now 41, is a legitimate international comedy star. He has starred in several TV stand-ups for HBO and Netflix, helmed a podcast, and also created and starred in a TV series Legit where he played a version of himself. Legit, which lasted two seasons, garnered attention for story lines that included…