Little Britain creator Matt Lucas has come under fire for wading into the row over Kanye West being signed to headline Wireless Festival in July.
The Jewish comedian, 52, joined rallying calls against organisers’ decision, after Kanye, 48, has repeatedly made anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi remarks on social media, for which he has since apologised and blamed on his bipolar disorder.
He took to X to write: ‘Have you released a song called ‘Heil Hitler’? Have you sold t-shirts with swastikas on them? Have you promised to go ‘death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE’? If so, congratulations! You may be eligible to headline @WirelessFest’.
The post was soon met with an onslaught of rage from followers, who pointed out that his 2003 show Little Britain and 2010’s Come Fly With Me, in which he starred and wrote with David Walliams, was laden with problematic characters.
Matt was branded a ‘hypocrite’ due to the use of ‘lazy racist caricatures’, for which he and David apologised in 2020 when Little Britain was removed from streaming services due to their use of blackface, as well as ableist characters.
Little Britain creator Matt Lucas has come under fire for wading into the row over Kanye West being signed to headline Wireless Festival in July (pictured as Precious Little, a Jamaican woman in her 50s who manages a coffee kiosk in 2010 mockumentary Come Fly with Me)
The Jewish comedian, 52, joined rallying calls against organisers’ decision, after Kanye, 48, has repeatedly made anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi remarks on social media, for which he has since apologised and blamed on his bipolar disorder (Kanye pictured in 2022)
He took to X to write: ‘Have you released a song called ‘Heil Hitler’? Have you sold t-shirts with swastikas on them? Have you promised to go ‘death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE’? If so, congratulations! You may be eligible to headline @WirelessFest’
Kanye’s signing has sparked widespread fury, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying it was ‘deeply concerning’ the American rapper will star as the main act on all three nights of the event in Finsbury Park, London.
Prior to his apology and attribution to his mental health, Kanye has worn swastika and ‘White Lives Matter’ T-shirts, called himself a Nazi, released a song praising Hitler and said he was going ‘death con 3 on Jewish people’.
His actions have led to growing calls for him to be banned from the UK completely. He has not performed in the country for 11 years.
The Home Secretary can deny visas to foreign nationals if their presence is deemed ‘not conducive to the public good’. Since the anger began, four sponsors have withdrawn from the festival.
Joining in the cries, Matt spoke out about the signing with his sarcastic message about how his previous slurs and actions were not being recognised.
The message was soon met with backlash, as many referenced Matt’s characters donning black face including Pastor Jesse King, Desiree DeVere and other racial stereotypes such as Thai bride Ting Tong.
Many of the posts featured an image of Matt dressed as Precious Little, a Jamaican woman in her 50s who manages a terminal coffee kiosk in mockumentary Come Fly with Me.
One riled user penned: ‘Is Matt for real?? The man who made a killing off of black face and mocking disabled people. Little Britain was hilarious but come on … some self awareness would be lovely’
Critics wrote: ‘ You weren’t going through an episode of bipolar when you did blackface ?… Is this you mate? Ye was in the middle of a bipolar episode unmedicated? Whats your excuse for punching down racially?’
In a nod to how he profited from the sketches, a Twitter user shared images of the Little Britain Talking Plush toys from 2005, including Andy and Lou and David as spa guest Desiree DeVere
He also dressed up to play passenger liaison officer Moses Beacon and airline boss Omar Baba in In Come Fly With Me. The abelism accusation stems from the character of wheelchair user Andy Pipkin and his carer Lou.
Critics wrote: ‘You weren’t going through an episode of bipolar when you did blackface ?… Is this you mate? Ye was in the middle of a bipolar episode unmedicated? Whats your excuse for punching down racially?…
‘Kettle meet pot… @RealMattLucas taking the moral high ground… People in glass houses… Your career is built on lazy racist caricatures of minorities broadcast every week on the BBC for years so yes I can believe this is happening.’
One riled user penned: ‘Is Matt for real?? The man who made a killing off of black face and mocking disabled people. Little Britain was hilarious but come on … some self awareness would be lovely’.
In a nod to how he profited from the sketches, a Twitter user shared images of the Little Britain Talking Plush toys from 2005, including Andy and Lou and David as spa guest Desiree DeVere.
Others however defended the star, insisting Kanye was supporting Hitler while Matt’s was merely a comedy sketch: ‘Are we really linking comedy and support of hitler. Crazy times… You can’t really think the two things are comparable?’
Others however defended the star, insisting Kanye was supporting Hitler while Matt’s was merely a comedy sketch: ‘Are we really linking comedy and support of hitler. Crazy times… You can’t really think the two things are comparable?…
‘I don’t think Ye should be cancelled, but glorifying Nazism is very different to making jokes about race and disability… There’s a difference between mocking and genocide… Yep, and he was funny as…
‘KW not so much, but I don’t think he should be banned. This country let Kneecap perform…’
Matt previously insisted there had not been ‘bad intent there’ and they had simply been showing off about ‘what a diverse bunch of people we could play.’
Kanye West performs on stage at the Wireless Festival in Birmingham in 2014
In the interview Matt said it was ‘lazy’ for white people to ‘get a laugh just by playing black characters’. David also said that the show would definitely make a comeback but acknowledged he would change things.
In the statement posted to Twitter, David wrote: ‘Matt & I have both spoken publicly in recent years of our regret that we played characters of other races. Once again we want to make it clear that it was wrong & we are very sorry.’
Matt and David have both previously apologised for their use of blackface on the show, which began as a radio programme in 2000 before running as a TV series on the BBC between 2003 and 2007, launching their respective careers.
Daily Mail has contacted Matt for comment.
