Lee Mack hits back at ‘offended’ viewers who called for him to be ‘cancelled’ over his Jill Scott sex toy joke at the National Television Awards
Lee Mack has hit back after he offended viewers during Tuesday’s live broadcast of the National Television Awards.
The stand-up comedian, 55, appeared on stage when his programme, The 1% Club, won the Quiz Game Show award.
After being presented the gong by former footballer Jill Scott, 36, things quickly went downhill when he quipped that the award resembled an X-rated item.
In attempt to poke fun at the Lioness, he joked: ‘To receive a sex toy like this off Jill Scott is an absolute pleasure.’
Viewers immediately took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to comment on the controversial joke – with ‘cancel Lee Mack’ briefly trending.
Not taking any criticism: Lee Mack has hit back after he offended viewers during Tuesday’s live broadcast of the National Television Awards
Yet speaking to The Sun after the ceremony, Lee took a swipe at offended viewers and said: ‘My job as a stand-up comedian is to take the mickey out of the contestants.
‘I decided never to be too cheesy with it. I just wanted to try to have a bit of a laugh.
‘It’s just like a gig, especially to 100 people. That was most of my Edinburgh Fringe shows back in the early days to 100 people.
‘It’s quite an intimate laugh and the one thing is the audience really can take it, you can take the mickey out of them.
‘It’s the people who are watching who get offended, not the audience. They’re always OK about it.’
Lee had also raised eyebrows with a joke about diversity in his acceptance speech.
He quipped: ‘I want to thank all the nominees because they are all brilliant. I’d like to thank Michael McIntyre, Richard Osman and Bradley Walsh, proving if you get really funny people to host a show it’s a really good idea.
‘It also shows diversity targets are really working, doesn’t it? Doesn’t matter if you are 5ft6 or 7ft9, it’s for everyone… That would have worked better for the BAFTAs.’
Under fire: Lee made a joke about receiving a sex toy from Jill Scott after she and Mo Gilligan presented the comedian with the Quiz Game Show award
Shock: Viewers immediately took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to comment on the controversial joke – with ‘cancel Lee Mack’ briefly trending
Taking to X during the speech, shocked viewers shared: ‘I couldn’t tell if Lee Mack’s joke at the #NTAs was a dig at the lack of diversity in that category or him opposing people hiring those from diverse backgrounds to host. Seeing the way he blanked Mo unfortunately makes me think he meant the latter’;
‘I am sure the diversity joke was very, very funny … in Lee Mack’s head’, while a different viewer typed: ‘Just seen the snowflake lot are trying to cancel Lee Mack, comedians can’t be comedians anymore’;
‘Well Lee Mack is gonna get cancelled now’; ‘I am sure the diversity joke was very, very funny… in Lee Mack’s head’; ‘watching lee mack trying to be funny is just painful #NTAs’;
‘Well lee mack is gonna get cancelled now #NTAs’; ‘Gutted lee Mack won and cruelly made jokes on stage at someone else’s expense. Be gracious and be kind #NTAs.’
National Television Awards 2023: ALL THE WINNERS
New Drama
Beyond Paradise
Blue Lights
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Wednesday- WINNER
Reality Competition
Love Island
Race Across the World
SAS: Who Dares Wins
The Traitors – WINNER
Authored Documentary
Deborah James: Bowelbabe in Her Own Words
Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now – WINNER
Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction
Rob Burrow: Living with MND
Returning Drama
Call the Midwife
Happy Valley -WINNER
Stranger Things
Vera
TV Presenter
Alison Hammond
Ant & Dec – WINNER
Bradley Walsh
Claudia Winkleman
Martin Lewis
Factual
Clarkson’s Farm
Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs – WINNER
Sort Your Life Out
The Martin Lewis Money Show Live
Drama Performance
Brenda Blethyn, DCI Vera Stanhope, Vera
India Amarteifio, Young Queen Charlotte, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
James Norton, Tommy Lee Royce, Happy Valley
Judy Parfitt, Sister Monica Joan, Call The Midwife
Sarah Lancashire, Catherine Cawood, Happy Valley – WINNER
The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award
Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway
Gogglebox – WINNER
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
The Masked Singer
Serial Drama
Coronation Street
EastEnders – WINNER
Emmerdale
Hollyoaks
TV Interview
Louis Theroux Interviews…
Piers Morgan Uncensored
The Chris & Rosie Ramsey Show
The Graham Norton Show – WINNER
Serial Drama Performance
Charlotte Jordan, Daisy Midgeley, Coronation Street
Danielle Harold, Lola Pearce-Brown, EastEnders – WINNER
Dominic Brunt, Paddy Kirk, Emmerdale
Maureen Lipman, Evelyn Plummer, Coronation Street
Quiz Game Show
Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel
Richard Osman’s House Of Games
The 1% Club – WINNER
The Chase Celebrity Special
Rising Star
Benjamin Chivers, Isaac, The Devil’s Hour
Bobby Brazier, Freddie Slater, EastEnders – WINNER
Channique Sterling-Brown, Dee-Dee Bailey, Coronation Street
Lewis Cope, Nicky Milligan, Emmerdale
Daytime
Loose Women
The Chase
The Repair Shop – WINNER
This Morning
Comedy
Brassic
Ghosts
Ted Lasso
Young Sheldon- WINNER
Talent Show
Britain’s Got Talent
Strictly Come Dancing – WINNER
The Great British Bake Off
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