ITV hit with 4,000 complaints after star's 'terribly…

ITV hit with 4,000 complaints after star's 'terribly white' Coronation comments

ITV has been hit with over 4,000 Ofcom complaints after Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh said the Buckingham Palace balcony was "terribly white" after the Coronation of King Charles III.

The star appeared during the broadcaster's coverage of the Coronation and later insisted she didn't intend to cause offence after her comments about the Royal Family, which sparked some backlash online.

ITV has now been hit by 4,165 Ofcom complaints, making it the regulator's most complained moment so far this year.

Adjoa sat alongside Myleene Klass to discuss the newly crowned King and Queen, when she shared her thoughts on the moment Charles and Camilla were joined by members of their family to wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

"We have gone from the rich diversity of the Abbey to a terribly white balcony," Adjoa mused when speaking to ITV presenters Tom Bradby and Julie Etchingham during the ITV live coverage, " I am very struck by that. I am also looking at those younger generations and thinking: 'What are the nuances that they will inhabit when they grow?"

Adjoa Andoh later said she didn't mean to upset anyone with her comments (ITV)

The actress was supported by many online, who pointed out a "lack of critical thinking" from those slamming Adjoa. Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, who often appears on shows like Good Morning Britain, showed her support for the actress, as she wrote on Twitter : "#AdjoaAndoh told no lies in factual observation of ‘terribly White’ (literal & symbolic) Buckingham palace balcony at #Coronation in contrast to tokenism of race diversity at Westminster Abbey & got branded ‘racist’. White people false equivalence of racism is laughable. For me it’s the lack of critical thinking re why the contrast is terrible as she rightly points out. Even if Adjoa Andoh spent 99.99% on TV adulating King Charles & British Monarchy, that one observation of White Balcony erases it because for racists she doesn’t know her place."

Following the backlash, Adjoa explained how she didn't intend cause such an outrage. "I think I upset a few people yesterday," she said. "I was talking about the day and how marvellous it was and then looking at the balcony at the end and suddenly going: 'Oh it's so white!' because the day had been so mixed and I didn't mean to upset anybody."

The 4,165 complaints make it Ofcom's most complained moment so far this year. Others have included:

Britain's Got Talent receiving 400 complaints, including about when a contestant auditioned by taking on the Rubik's Cube whilst on fire;
Dancing On Ice receiving complaints about Ekin-Su's risque outfit;
Over 900 complaints about Channel 4 show Naked Education;
2,250 Ofcom complaints about Jeremy Vine's show by angry viewers who were not happy with a debate on the Channel 5 programme concerning the junior doctors pay dispute;
Coronation Street for its acid attack storyline.

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