Latest news with #JoshHowie
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
GB News is plunged into more chaos as it considers axing 'anti-woke' comedy show after raft of complaints
GB News is considering axing its 'anti-woke' comedy show following a raft of complaints over a remark made about the LGBTQ + community. One of the presenters of Headliners suggested on Saturday the panel show could be taken off air within two weeks. The programme, which is a comic spin on traditional newspaper review shows, is currently at the centre of GB News's latest dispute with regulator Ofcom. More than 1,200 viewers complained and 70,000 people signed a petition after comedian Josh Howie appeared to suggest the LGBTQ+ community included paedophiles. The remarks were made during a segment on a sermon by a US bishop, which urged President Donald Trump to 'have mercy' on gay, lesbian and transgender children. Mr Howie referenced a statement from the bishop's church calling for the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people. The comedian, who has insisted he was making a joke, said: 'I just want to say, that includes paedos, if you're doing the full inclusion.' Now presenter Lewis Schaffer has suggested the future of Headliners, which has been running since 2021, has been thrown into doubt. He wrote on X on Saturday: 'I'm heading into the studio! I've been told by management that the show will be on air for another two weeks while they decide what to do!' Then at the start of the show, he added: 'We're not allowed to talk about it.' Leo Kearse, who was hosting Headliners, replied: 'Thank you for not talking about it.' Mr Howie has insisted the controversial remarks were just him making a joke. He said: 'It's a comedy show. Where three comedians make jokes as we review the next day's newspapers.' MailOnline has contacted GB News for comment. It is the latest blow for the right-wing broadcaster which has been involved in a number of disputes with Ofcom. GB News was last year handed a £100,000 fine for breaching impartiality rules in a programme featuring Rishi Sunak. It followed an appearance by Mr Sunak on a February 12 broadcast called People's Forum: The Prime Minister, where he was asked questions by a studio audience. An earlier investigation by Ofcom found that 'an appropriately wide range of significant viewpoints was not presented and given due weight'. GB News is currently challenging the regulator's ruling. Meanwhile in February, GB News won a High Court battle against Ofcom after it ruled the channel had breached impartiality rules in a programme presented by Jacob Rees-Mogg. The judge ruled that the initial decisions which were made in May and June 2023 were unlawful. Furthermore in 2023, GB News received 7,300 complaints and launched an internal investigation after former host Laurence Fox made a series of remarks about a female journalist. The actor-turned-activist apologised for a 'demeaning' sexist rant about political correspondent Ms Evans, which included him asking 'who would want to sh*g that?. Fox said he was angry with Ms Evans over comments she made on a BBC debate around male suicide and alleged she had a 'dislike of men in general', but apologised for 'demeaning her'. Addressing the situation in a video posted to X, he said: 'If I was going to be sensible and I could replay it, I would say: 'Any self-respecting man in 2023 would probably be well advised to avoid a woman who possessed that worldview because she would probably cause him nothing but harm'. 'But what I did say was, you know, 'I wouldn't shag that', and all that sort of stuff, which is not right. It's demeaning to her, to Ava, so I'm sorry for demeaning you in that way. 'However angry I am with you still for doing that, and it demeans me because it's not representative of who I am.'
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
GB News's ‘anti-woke' comedy show faces axe after thousands of complaints
GB News is considering cancelling its 'anti-woke' comedy show Headliners amid a barrage of complaints. Presenters of the Right-wing, late night panel show appeared to suggest on Saturday that it could be taken off air within a fortnight. Lewis Schaffer, one of the show's panellists, posted on X: 'I'm heading into the studio! I've been told by management that the show will be on air for another two weeks while they decide what to do!' At the start of Saturday's show, Mr Schaffer said: 'We're not allowed to talk about it.' Leo Kearse, the Headliner's host, replied: 'Thank you for not talking about it.' GB News declined to comment on the show's future. I'm heading into the studio! I've been told by management that the show will be on air for another two weeks while they decide what to do! — Lewis Schaffer (@LewisSchaffer) May 24, 2025 The uncertainty comes after Headliners, a comic spin on traditional newspaper review shows, was hit with tens of thousands of complaints after one of its hosts appeared to suggest the LGBTQ+ community included paedophiles. The remarks, by the comedian Josh Howie, are now the subject of an Ofcom investigation. In a segment discussing a sermon by a US bishop, which urged Donald Trump to 'have mercy' on gay, lesbian and transgender children, Mr Howie quoted a statement from the bishop's church calling for the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people. He said: 'I just want to say, that includes paedos, if you're doing the full inclusion.' The Headliners segment triggered more than 1,200 complaints by viewers, as well as a petition signed by more than 70,000 people from campaign group the Good Law Project that has been handed to the regulator. Angelos Frangopoulos, the chief executive of GB News, said the channel had been 'subjected to a coordinated political campaign by far-Left pressure groups '. Mr Howie has said his remarks were intended as a joke, adding: 'It's a comedy show. Where three comedians make jokes as we review the next day's newspapers.' GB News has said the comedian has been 'misrepresented'. Headliners has been on air since 2021 in the 11pm slot and is one of GB News's longest-running programmes. The show typically features mostly Right-leaning comedians. Mr Kearse's YouTube channel describes him as 'one of the UK's few openly Right-wing comedians' and one of his stand-up shows as 'about comedy triggering the wrath of woke mobs'. GB News has grappled with a series of disputes with Ofcom, the media regulator, over the content of its programming as it attempts to import Right-leaning, US-style panel shows and current affairs to Britain. In February, GB News won a crucial major High Court battle against the watchdog after a judge quashed the regulator's ruling that the channel breached impartiality rules by airing programmes presented by Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, a then-Tory MP. The channel is separately challenging a £100,000 penalty handed down by Ofcom over claims it broke impartiality rules with a 2024 programme featuring Rishi Sunak, then the prime minister, alleging he had been given an 'uncontested platform to promote the policies and performance of his government'.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
GB News's ‘anti-woke' comedy show faces axe after thousands of complaints
GB News is considering cancelling its 'anti-woke' comedy show Headliners amid a barrage of complaints. Presenters of the Right-wing, late night panel show appeared to suggest it could be taken off air within a fortnight ahead of this weekend's broadcast. Lewis Schaffer, one of the show's panellists, posted on X: 'I'm heading into the studio! I've been told by management that the show will be on air for another two weeks while they decide what to do!' At the start of Saturday's show, Mr Schaffer said: 'We're not allowed to talk about it.' Leo Kearse, the Headliner's host, replied: 'Thank you for not talking about it.' GB News declined to comment on the show's future. The uncertainty comes after Headliners, a comic spin on traditional newspaper review shows, was hit with tens of thousands of complaints after one of its hosts appeared to suggest the LGBTQ+ community included paedophiles. The remarks, by the comedian Josh Howie, are now the subject of an Ofcom investigation. In a segment discussing a sermon by a US bishop, which urged Donald Trump to 'have mercy' on gay, lesbian and transgender children, Mr Howie quoted a statement from the bishop's church calling for the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people. He said: 'I just want to say, that includes paedos, if you're doing the full inclusion.' The Headliners segment triggered more than 1,200 complaints by viewers, as well as a petition signed by more than 70,000 people from campaign group the Good Law Project that has been handed to the regulator. Angelos Frangopoulos, the chief executive of GB News, said the channel had been 'subjected to a coordinated political campaign by far-Left pressure groups'. Mr Howie has said his remarks were intended as a joke, adding: 'It's a comedy show. Where three comedians make jokes as we review the next day's newspapers.' GB News has said the comedian has been 'misrepresented'. Headliners has been on air since 2021 in the 11pm slot and is one of GB News's longest-running programmes. The show typically features mostly Right-leaning comedians. Mr Kearse's YouTube channel describes him as 'one of the UK's few openly Right-wing comedians' and one of his stand-up shows as 'about comedy triggering the wrath of woke mobs'. GB News has grappled with a series of disputes with Ofcom, the media regulator, over the content of its programming as it attempts to import Right-leaning, US-style panel shows and current affairs to Britain. In February, GB News won a crucial major High Court battle against the watchdog after a judge quashed the regulator's ruling that the channel breached impartiality rules by airing programmes presented by Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, a then-Tory MP. The channel is separately challenging a £100,000 penalty handed down by Ofcom over claims it broke impartiality rules with a 2024 programme featuring Rishi Sunak, then the prime minister, alleging he had been given an 'uncontested platform to promote the policies and performance of his government'.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
GB News Host's Comments Linking LGBTQ+ People With Paedophilia Spark Flood Of Ofcom Complaints
TV watchdog Ofcom has now received more than 1,000 complaints over a recent GB News broadcast. Last month, presenter Josh Howie was met with a wave of controversy during a discussion about the speech Mariann Budde, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, made in a service after Donald Trump's inauguration. Urging the newly re-elected president to 'have mercy on people in our country who are scared now', Budde's speech specifically made reference to LGBTQ+ Americans, 'some who fear for their lives', as well as migrants currently living in the US. 'The church that she belongs to, the Diocese, it talks about the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons,' Howie told GB News viewers the following day, before declaring: 'I just want to say that includes paedos.' Howie's remarks linking the LGBTQ+ community with paedophilia were widely condemned, with the political non-profit group the Good Law Project setting up a complaints petition which it intends to present to Ofcom next week. The media regulator confirmed to Metro they've now received 1,227 complaints, about Howie's comments almost 1,000 of which were made in the last week. 'Complaints alleged a comment by the host linked LGBT+ members of a church with paedophilia,' a spokesperson noted. The Good Law Project's campaign is also racking up complaints which will be passed over to Ofcom on Monday 17 February. At the time of writing, their total number of signatories stands at 63,356. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Good Law Project (@goodlawproject) While Howie's initial comments aired live on 22 January, he eventually addressed the ensuing backlash on air earlier this week. Howie claimed that he was joking when he made his remark, alleging that, in his view, he was speaking in support of the LGBTQ+ community as there is 'no definitive list of who is included in the Q and the Q+' and 'for some people the full inclusion of the LBGTQ+ includes paedophiles'. 'I can see why some people might think I was being homophobic, when in fact, I was being the opposite,' he continued, apologising to anyone 'who thought I was making an offensive comment'. GB News had no comment when contacted by HuffPost UK. Were Ofcom to take action, it wouldn't be the first time the divisive news station found itself in hot water with the watchdog. Last year, GB News was slapped with a hefty fine after broadcasting a so-called 'people's forum' with former prime minister Rishi Sunak in the lead-up to the general election, which was found to be in breach of impartiality guidelines for a news network. In 2023, it also sparked an investigation following a live broadcast in which former contributor Laurence Fox launched into a sexist tirade against a female journalist during an appearance on Dan Wootton's now-defunct evening show. Ofcom eventually ruled that this had also breached its guidelines, as did a separate live show fronted by ex-Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, for which the station was later put 'on notice'. GB News Slapped With Massive Fine After Breaking Ofcom Guidelines With Rishi Sunak Broadcast Good Morning Britain Sparks Hundreds Of Ofcom Complaints After Adil Ray Body-Shaming Claims These Are The 10 Most Complained-About TV Moments In Ofcom's History
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ofcom receives 1,200 complaints over GB News show
Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has said it is "carefully assessing" 1,227 complaints relating to comments a GB News presenter made about the LGBT community. During an episode of Headliners which aired on 22 January, while discussing a sermon given by a US bishop, presenter Josh Howie appeared to suggest the LGBT community included paedophiles. Howie has since said his programme is a comedy show and his comment was intended as a "joke about paedophilia in the church". BBC News has contacted GB News for comment. The number of complaints could rise next week, after a campaign organisation began collating its own complaints about the broadcast, which it plans to deliver in one batch to the regulator next week. The Good Law Project said it had gathered more than 60,000 complaints in an online petition against "dangerous disinformation about LGBTQ+ people". In the episode, Howie discussed a recent sermon given by the episcopal bishop of Washington, Mariann Budde, at a service attended by Donald Trump. In the service, she implored the newly-inaugurated US President "to have mercy" on gay, lesbian and transgender children "who fear for their lives". During the GB News programme, Howie quoted a statement issued by the bishop's church which backs "the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons". He then suggested that that community included paedophiles, "if you're doing the full inclusion there". Following the backlash, Howie posted a lengthy statement on X, writing that his programme is a "comedy show where three comedians make jokes as we review the next day's newspapers". He noted the three comics on the programme came from "across the political spectrum, all providing a different take on the story". Howie said his comment was a joke which connected the sermon to the "wrong 'uns in the [church] that [Budde] was seemingly advocating for". He added the seven-second clip which has been circulated did not provide the full context and cut off his subsequent comments, which, he said, "made clear that I'm talking about the [church] end of the scale". "The point, my intent, the context, are all much clearer with those words included," he said. "And a deliberate and conscious choice was made to cut them out because it didn't fit what they wanted to pretend I meant. As opposed to what I actually said." The online complaints collated by The Good Law Project will be handed in to its London head office by the Good Law Project in person on Monday 17 February. If Ofcom recognises the complaints, it could mark the highest number of complaints ever submitted to Ofcom about a single programme. However, the watchdog told BBC News that its audience complaints figures only "reflect individual complaints made directly to [Ofcom] via our official complaints process", suggesting that the complaints gathered for the online petition may not be counted in the same way. An Ofcom spokeswoman told the BBC on Wednesday that it was currently "carefully assessing" the 1,227 official complaints made since the show aired "and the content before we decide whether to investigate". "We are aware of an online petition about this programme and will look closely at this once received," she said. "The number of signatories to this petition will be noted in our Broadcast Bulletin, once we have made our decision. "We consider each and every complaint made to us carefully, but the number of complaints about a programme does not determine whether we will investigate." The previous official record of 58,000 complaints concerned Piers Morgan's comments about Meghan Markle made on Good Morning Britain in 2021. ITV was ultimately cleared by Ofcom, which rejected the complaints. The Good Law Project argues that GB News violated Ofcom's code, which states broadcasters must protect the public from harmful and offensive material. "Josh Howie's comments were shocking, spreading dangerous disinformation about LGBTQ+ people," said Joylon Maugham, executive director of the Good Law Project. "They should have been challenged and then disowned by GB News. Instead, Mr Howie was encouraged by GB News to double down. "It's no wonder that so many people have joined Good Law Project to express their outrage – making this the biggest complaint Ofcom has ever dealt with. Ofcom must act now to stop them spreading hate." He added: "But the Ofcom complaint is absolutely not the end. We will be helping the LGBTQ+ community – and those who want that community to enjoy the same dignity as the rest of us – to tell the advertisers who fund this hate how they feel." The campaign organisation underlined how false comparisons between the LGBTQ+ community and paedophiles were recently described by one High Court judge as being "one of the oldest, most pernicious and most stubbornly ineradicable falsities or myths of homophobia". Trans doctor used female changing rooms after row
