James Cleverly and jokes

I am in a strange situation where I am backing James Cleverly. There has been outrage over a joke he made, this being a Date Rape one about his wife. 

According to reports first published by the Sunday Mirror newspaper, Mr Cleverly told some guests there that “a little bit of Rohypnol in her drink every night” was “not really illegal if it's only a little bit.” It also says he laughed that the secret to a long marriage was ensuring your spouse was “someone who is always mildly sedated so she can never realise there are better men out there.”

I understand that some people will be offended by the joke, especially when it is reported out of context, but like many jokes, such as that which Jimmy Carr got into trouble before, it needs to be viewed in context