Joel Dommett has apologised for joking about ‘shanking’ someone on an I’m A Celebrity spin-off show – as campaigners condemned him for ‘trivialising’ knife crime.
The presenter, 40, co-hosts the ITV2 after show with Kemi Rodgers and made the comment on Tuesday’s episode.
Joel, Kemi, Ant and Dec discussed the celebrities winning bags of sweets – with campmate Ruby Wax keeping a bag of Liquorice Allsorts to herself.
The comedian said: ‘If someone stole my Haribo, I’d shank them’, before following up with: ‘Is that alright to say on telly? Is that too much?’
Dec answered: ‘It was a little too much, you’ve overstepped the mark’, with Joel saying ‘I’m sorry about that.’
‘Shank’ is a slang term for knifing someone.
Speaking in a statement, Joel further apologised as he said: ‘I would like to once again apologise to anyone offended by the language used in Tuesday’s show.
Joel Dommett has issued an apology following a comment he made on I’m A Celebrity’s ITV2 spin-off Unpacked
The comment came as Ant and Dec were on the Unpacked sofa, with Dec in particular noting Joel had ‘overstepped the mark’
The Unpacked panel had been discussing campmate and comedy legend Ruby Wax hoarding a bag of sweets to herself
‘I realised the error in the moment and immediately apologised live on air.
‘This was not a pre-written joke and I would never make light of such a serious issue as knife crime.’
An ITV spokesperson added: ‘We would apologise to anyone offended by the language used in Tuesday’s show.
‘Joel recognised this unfortunate choice of language in the moment and immediately apologised to viewers.’
Furthermore, Patrick Green, CEO of The Ben Kinsella Trust, a charity educating young people on the dangers of knife crime, said: ‘I am sure that when Joel made this comment, he was not intending to cause offence or trivialise knife crime, as indicated by his immediate apology.
Back in 2016, Joel himself was a campmate on I’m A Celebrity and ultimately placed second behind Scarlett Moffatt
Since his jungle stint, Joel has gone on to present shows including ITV’s smash hit The Masked Singer
‘However, it does highlight how knife crime has become so ingrained in our society that it has entered everyday language, when in reality it is something we should strongly oppose and never joke about.
‘Knife crime is not a trivial matter—it takes young lives and leaves families and communities devastated.
‘It is important that we continue to challenge this normalisation and ensure that the seriousness of the issue is never undermined.’
It comes as viewers delivered their verdict on the Unpacked show, which airs each night after I’m A Celeb.
Although featuring exclusive content and guests including past winners Jill Scott and Sam Thompson, it has not managed to hook the same viewership as the main show.
One fans called for Unpacked to be ‘cancelled’ after it has been unable to win around fans of the ITV reality show
Fans took to X to share their thoughts on the spin-off show
Fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts as one person wrote: ‘That I’m A Celeb unpacked needs to be cancelled.’
Another added: ‘Am I the only one who thinks Unpacked is just dead… none of them have any enthusiasm.. So monotone. I wanna watch but it’s hard to watch.’
To which another person wrote: ‘I’ve tried to watch, but quickly lose interest.’
The latest Unpacked series has also featured guests including past campmates Alison Hammond, Seann Walsh and Melvin Odoom.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! continues Monday at 9pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.
