Aimee Walker
Katherine Ryan has blasted TV panel shows for being ‘sexist and ageist,’ despite appearing in several of them.
According to the Daily Star, the comedian has slammed the industry for ‘making women at 35 irrelevant’.
She has apparently said: “This is especially true in the entertainment industry.
Katherine Ryan Defends ‘Offensive’ Joke That Got Her ‘Cancelled’
“I’ve actually overheard decision-makers rejecting suggestions for female contributors on the basis that they’d be ‘too old for our audience,’ than booking male comedians in the same age bracket instead.”
She continued: “You only need to look at the lingering panel show trend of casting six male headliner comedians next to one or two ‘beautiful entertainer’ category women who’ve never delivered a single line of stand-up in their young lives to see that female comics aren’t valued in the same way as our male counterparts.”
Ryan has also claimed to have been told to ‘smile more, specifically at very serious men beside her’ by producers through an earpiece.
The 38-year-old fumed: “I’ve had frank production chats about wearing my hair down to look ‘softer,’ I’ve had my wardrobe scrutinised while half the boys can’t even bring in a clean shirt.
“I’d be a fool to think that my carefully crafted glamorous image hasn’t been at least partly responsible for my success.”
In her new book ‘The Audacity,’ Ryan has also claimed that a woman’s size and appearance can also lead to them being axed, as well as their age.
She explained: “The thought of getting fat as well as old simultaneously was professionally scary.
“It would force people to change their understanding of ‘What I was’ as an entertainer and give them the option to reject me instead.”
The comedian has appeared in several panel shows throughout her career, including A League of Their Own, Mock the Week, Would I Lie to You?, and Have I Got News for You.
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