Amanda Holden has sparked backlash from Paul O'Grady fans over her 'offensive' radio tribute.
The Britain's Got Talent judge said that the late entertainer "didn't have a woke bone in his body" on her Heart breakfast show. Paul's husband Andre broke the news on Wednesday that the beloved entertainer had passed away peacefully at the age of 67.
Amanda, 52, discussed the tragic death of Paul - whom she had appeared alongside on a special episode of For the Love of Dogs last year - on Heart Breakfast yesterday. Discussing his death, she said to her co-host Jamie Theakston, 52, that she was "completely shocked". She went on to share her thoughts about Paul.
She commented on the show: "Do you know what I loved about him? He was not woke in any way. He had massive opinions on everything, which I love people like that."
Fans of the late drag icon Lily Savage took issue with the statement as O'Grady spoke openly about his support for LGBTQ+ causes and anti-austerity work.
Fans have taken issue with the talent judges comment, and questioned whether she knows the meaning of the term 'woke' in her description of Paul. The Collins Dictionary describes 'woke' as someone who is "very aware of social and political unfairness".
Fans took to Twitter to rant about the presenter's comment, as many questioned whether she even knew the LGBTQ+ trailblazer following the statement. One angry listener wrote: "When paying tribute to Paul O’Grady on during her Heart breakfast show, Amanda Holden said that he “didn’t have a woke bone in his body”, and I can’t work out whether she doesn’t know what woke means, or simply doesn’t know who Paul O’Grady is."
Another added: "She either doesn’t know what woke means or doesn’t know who Paul O’Grady is and what he stood for."
"What an awful tribute. Does Amanda Holden have any clue what the word 'woke' means. He was a socialist and a drag queen who fought for LGBTQ rights and against austerity. Ask Amanda what woke means," a third penned.
A fourth fan agreed: "The man was a queer activist, trailblazer and unapologetic drag queen on prime time TV when being gay was seen as dirty. What about that isn't woke?"
Paul had even noted that he was 'woke' in an interview before his death. He told the Sun in 2020: "I'm married to a ballet dancer, I've got a daughter, two grandkids and was married to a Portuguese lesbian barmaid. It doesn't get much more woke."
The following year when asked by The Independent if society had become "too woke", he said: "We've become nit-pickers. [...] If somebody puts a foot wrong, they are leapt on. You are not allowed to have an opinion."
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