The debate over what cancel culture is and whether it even exists is nauseating at this point, but Graham Norton is now feeling what could be the effects of it after discussing his own views on the topic at Cheltenham Literature Festival.
Here’s what Graham had to say:
“In what world are you cancelled? I think the word is the wrong word. I think the word should be accountability.”
Graham Norton criticises John Cleese and tells #TimesRadio that cancel culture isn’t real.@mariellaf1 pic.twitter.com/mErngPl2kJ
— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) October 12, 2022
His point was essentially that high-profile names who claim to have been cancelled are deluded, and that free speech does not mean ‘consequence free’ speech:
You read a lot of articles in papers by people complaining about cancel culture and you think, ‘In what world are you cancelled?’
I’m reading your article in a newspaper, or you’re doing interviews about how terrible it is to be cancelled? I think the word is the wrong word. I think the word should be ‘accountability’.
What really got people’s backs up though was when the presenter was asked about JK Rowling, with Norton saying the conversation about trans people would be better if it was less driven by, as he described himself, ‘some bloke off the telly’:
“What I feel weird about this is when I’m asked about it, then I become part of this discussion.
All I’m painfully aware of is that my voice adds nothing to that discussion. I’m sort of embarrassed that I’m somehow drawn into it.
If people want to shine a light on those issues, and I hope people do, then talk to trans people, talk to the parents of trans kids, talk to doctors, talk to psychiatrists, talk to someone who can illuminate this in some way.”
Well, that seems reasonable enough. The guy doesn’t want to be dragged into the trans debate and so basically says ask trans people, doctors, psychiatrists or literally anyone else but me about it. It’s Graham Norton ffs! He’s not trying to offend or hurt anyone’s feelings. Except he did, apparently:
Welp, I’m not sure if JK Rowling actually saw what Graham Norton said because I’m pretty sure he wasn’t ‘throwing his support behind rape and death threats to whose who dare disagree’. Or maybe she was talking about Billy Bragg? Except I’m not sure he did that either. Either way, the whole thing sent Twitter into trans debate overdrive and Graham Norton ended up deleting his account to get away from people sending him abuse…
Cue #IStandWithGrahamNorton hashtags and all the rest of it. As I said I don’t think he’s someone who’s keen to get involved in these discussions to the point where he categorically states his position one way or another, whether that’s because he genuinely doesn’t feel educated enough on the matter to form an opinion or because he doesn’t want to wind up his producers, advertisers, celebrity friends etc. Seems a pretty unfair outcome for him to be receiving all this backlash tbh. No more culture war questions for Graham Norton, I reckon.
For the recent criticism directed at Frankie Boyle after he cracked a joke about raping and killing Holly Willoughby, click HERE.
