Sir Elton John has condemned the backlash following TV presenter Phillip Schofield’s admission to having an affair with a much younger male colleague, calling the reaction “totally homophobic”.
The Rocketman singer, 76, claimed a heterosexual relationship with a similar age gap would not have attracted such negative media coverage.
Speaking to Radio Times ahead of his headling set at this year’s Glastonbury festival at the weekend, he said: “I feel that the Phillip Schofield thing has been totally homophobic,” he told the Radio Times.
“If it was a straight guy in a fling with a young woman, it wouldn’t even make the papers.”
Schofield, 61, issued a statement on social media last month advising that he was quitting ITV programme This Morning after 21 years with immediate effect.
He later issued a further statement admitting to having an “unwise but not illegal” relationship with a younger make colleague, which he lied about for years.
His confession resulted in ITV launching an external review and bosses at the broadcaster were called to give evidence in parliament about claims of a “toxic” workplace.
Schofield also gave a sitdown interview to the BBC in which he said he has “lost everything” in the wake of his secret affair.
Sir Elton is not the first person to voice concerns about the reaction.
LGBTQ+ campaigner Peter Tatchell and actor Rupert Everett have also criticised the reaction to the affair.
Tatchell said it had “more than a whiff of homophobia”, while Everett described it as “insane”.
