Frankie Boyle has been slammed for making a joke about raping and killing TV presenter Holly Willoughby, according to reports.
The 49-year-old, referenced a game about 'killing and sh*****g people', which included This Morning host Holly, when he performed at the Latitude Festival in Suffolk last weekend. Boyle allegedly told the crowd: "I’d obviously kill her and rape her afterwards. I’m joking, I’d rape her first."
The controversial comedian defended the comment on Friday when he was asked about it at a book launch, Mail Online reports. Boyle said: "Can I just say, my routine about raping and f*****g Holly Willoughby was part of a very long routine about whether or not it’s okay to do a joke about that, and I look at it from both sides, there are pluses and minuses."
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He also described how comedy is in "the eye of the beholder" and he believes he's a "mainstream comic". The Mirror has contacted Frankie's representatives for comment.
Holly, 41, has in the past spoken up for sexual abuse victims, and has also revealed her own experience of up-skirting when photographers crouched on the floor to take photos of her. MP Caroline Noakes, Tory chair of Commons' Women and Equalities Committee, said rape is never funny and told Mail On Sunday that she was "disappointed" anyone would make a joke out of male sexual violence.
A spokesperson for feminism campaign group FiliA said: "There is nothing funny about male violence and seeking cheap applause at the expense of traumatising women speaks of low-quality material."
Frankie has sparked outrage in the past with jokes on Rebecca Adlington’s appearance and Katie Price’s disabled son Harvey. In 2017, Katie urged fans to boycott Frankie's Live at The Apollo broadcast, following the comments he made in 2010 about Harvey, on his show Tramadol Nights.
His quip on Mock The Week about Olympic swimmer Rebecca earned a reprimand from the BBC Trust, which branded it “humiliating”.
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