Frankie Boyle is criticized for making a joke about raping and murdering Holly Willoughby, but refuses to apologize
- The Scottish comic, 49, described a game about ‘murder and sh*****g’ people
- This included host Holly Willoughby performing at Latitude Festival
- Boyle defended joke yesterday after being asked at book launch
Comedian Frankie Boyle has been criticized for rape joke ITV presenter Holly Willoughby, Mail+ has revealed.
The Scottish comic, 49, described a game about ‘killing and sh*****g’ people, including the TV star during a performance at the Latitude Festival in Suffolk last weekend.
Boyle is said to have told those present: ‘Of course I would kill her and then rape her. I’m kidding, I’d rape her first.’
The comedian defended the joke yesterday after being asked about the incident at a Waterstones launch event for his new book.
Boyle said: ‘Can I say my routine about raping and fucking Holly Willoughby was part of a very long routine about whether it’s okay to joke about that, and I’m looking at it from both sides. sides, there are pluses and minuses.’
He also described how comedy is ‘in the eye of the beholder’ and he considers himself a ‘mainstream’ comic.
Frankie Boyle pictured on stage during day three of Latitude Festival 2022 at Henham Park last weekend
Boyle made a joke about raping and murdering ITV presenter Holly Willoughby (pictured) at the festival
Willoughby, 41, previously spoke out for victims of sexual abuse as part of the #metoo campaign, while also revealing her own experience of ‘upskirting’ when photographers crouched on the floor to snap photos of her underwear.
Caroline Nokes, Tory chair of the Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee, said she was “disappointed” at the joke.
She told the Mail on Sunday: ‘The Frankie Boyle I was in college with wouldn’t have found rape funny.
“It never is, and I’m disappointed someone would try to make a joke about male sexual assault.”
A spokesperson for the volunteer campaign group FiLiA, which campaigns for feminism as part of the Women’s Liberation Movement, added: “We are shocked that some men in the entertainment industry continue to view the abuse of women as comedic material.
“There is nothing funny about male violence and seeking cheap applause at the expense of traumatizing women speaks of low quality material.”
A statement continued: “We are grappling with a national crisis in which the police and courts fail to find rape victims brave enough to come forward and seek justice.
“Currently, one in four women report having been sexually abused, and research shows that less than two percent of reported rapes in England and Wales result in prosecution.
“Women and girls across the country aren’t laughing. Instead, women are angry and afraid for their safety.’
The MoS contacted both Boyle and Willoughby for comment, but they were unavailable.