Aimee Walker
Katherine Ryan made a ‘straight white man’ joke on her new show, All That Glitters, and it’s sparked a string of BBC complaints.
The 37-year-old was trying to calm down a contestant who was struggling with one of the challenges when she made the quip.
She said: “Do you know how confident a straight white man would be right now?”
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She added: “Think about Boris Johnson, how pleased he’d be right now.”
After the episode aired, many fans took to Twitter to say they weren’t impressed by the host’s comments.
One person said: “Really enjoyed #AllThatGlitters last night. Although the ‘white man joke’ should’ve been edited out.”
Another ranted: “‘Think like a white man’. How is this acceptable?! She needs to be removed!”
“‘Just think how confident a straight white man would be!’ That sounds like something a white supremacist would say…” a third wrote.
However, others defended the star and insisted it was ‘genius’.
One fan commented: “Loved @Kathbum’s comments about thinking like a privileged, white man when you’re doubting yourself. Using Boris as an example was just genius!”
A second said: “‘Imagine how confident a white man would be now. Think like a white man!’ I’ll live by that. What a babe.”
The BBC has also released a statement defending Ryan, despite the backlash.
It reads: “Many viewers of this programme will be familiar with Katherine Ryan’s well-established style of comedy after multiple appearances on BBC comedy programmes over the years.
“Comedy is one of the most subjective areas of programming and we can assure you we never set out to offend viewers with anything we show.”
So far, Ryan is yet to respond to the comment’s fallout.
All That Glitters shows eight talented designers fighting for the title of Britain’s next jewellery star. It aired for the first time last week.
Featured Image Credit: BBC
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