I get what you're saying dude, maybe I phrased it badly before, but what i was trying to say is that I dont think it's surprising that he might have stopped doing it. For me and you it probably just seems like the odd comment here and there, but I wouldn't be surprised if to him it feels like a wave of these questions that he might not be comfortable dealing with, so him retreating from those jokes to him might feel like a way to deflect those comments. IDK if that makes any sense, maybe its just me lol.