‘US podcasters' comments in no way reflect the Belfast I know and love': Deputy Lord Mayor on Cancelled co-hosts branding city ‘violent' and ‘crazy'

Belfast Telegraph

7 hours ago

Tana Mongeau and Brooke Schofield are best known for their Cancelled podcast, where they share their unfiltered opinions on pop culture and often host 'cancelled' public figures.
But the pair weren't impressed when they visited the city in May as part of their podcast tour.
Speaking on their podcast, they said Belfast was 'crazy' and 'violent'.
But Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast Paul Doherty has dismissed their remarks.
'These comments in no way reflect the Belfast I know and love,' he said.
In their podcast, Brooke (28) said their trip began with witnessing a brawl between Celtic and Rangers fans, following a 1-1 draw in the Old Firm clash at Ibrox, outside a Belfast airport.
'We saw the most violent fight ever, the second we landed in Ireland. I think we were in Belfast,' she explained.
'It was over soccer. And first of all, it was funny — we were like 'haha'. I have a video and it looks like they are swinging in slow motion. They were obviously, clearly, drunk old men.
'We were laughing about it, because we were like: 'What is going on? Everyone is fighting.'
'And then all of a sudden one guy gets punched and gets knocked out so bad he hits his head so hard on the pavement. I was like: 'I think he just died.''
'There were so many fights on the street in Belfast,' Tana (26) then told listeners.
'Paige [Camerlin, their friend] was walking down the street and she saw someone chugging a bottle of wine on their knees. [They] took the bottle away, popped a handful of pills, kept chugging. Belfast was crazy.'
Brooke then described an encounter at their hotel that led her to believe that people in Belfast are 'violent'.
'We were taking our luggage out, putting a luggage cart out on the street, and some lady went by. I'm waving at her baby and she goes: 'God, you stupid f****** c****.'
'I was like: 'Oh, my God! They are so violent here.''
In response, Mr Doherty said Belfast is a great city, adding: 'What I see every day is not chaos — it's compassion.
'This is a city where people look out for one another, step up in times of need and pull together in solidarity.
'At Foodstock, I've worked with communities across Belfast through some of the toughest times, and what always shines through is our resilience, our humour and our kindness.
'That's the Belfast I am proud to call my home.
'Belfast is a city of artists, musicians, storytellers and community builders who inspire people the world over. To reduce us to tired stereotypes is lazy and wrong.
'People here will give you directions, a story, a laugh, and even the coat off their back.
'We're known the world over for our hospitality and warm welcome — and rightly so.'
However, it wasn't just Belfast where the girls felt uncomfortable: Tana said she felt that European culture in general is less friendly than American culture.
'People just culturally don't do the same thing,' she said.
'Like, I think in America, when you catch someone staring at you, you smile and they smile back and they look away. People don't do that here.'
Yet the podcasters said they thoroughly enjoyed their show here, praising their audiences in Belfast and further afield.
'In Ireland and Scotland, it feels like we have a strong community there,' Brooke said.
'Yes, the Ireland shows were so incredible,' Tana agreed.
'It was so cute. You'd notice in the audience girls [who] came alone, and by the end of the show they'd joined groups of friends.
'You could just see people making friends and holding hands. It was so sweet.'