A white London stand-up comic has apologised after footage resurfaced of him using the N-word repeatedly in a “hurtful” routine.
Stand-up clubs in the capital are now under pressure to “de-platform” Alfie Brown with one venue already refunding tickets for his show on Saturday.
In a public apology, Brown, who has appeared on BBC’s Live At The Apollo, tweeted: “I agree with all the criticism of the video being circulated and apologise unreservedly for the abhorrent racial language I used.
“It was recorded in 2015 and years ago I realised my mistake and made every attempt to remove it, not because I was scared of it being found, but because it was wrong.
“And hurtful. I was ignorant. It was a young comedian’s arrogant attempt to be transgressive as the routine’s intention was to be anti-racist. But it was stupid, I regret it, and have regretted it for a long time.
“It became clear that me using that language wasn’t ever justified, even if trying to undermine it.
“I’ve never suffered racism and now years later this material is causing pain to people who have. I apologise deeply for it.”
In the unearthed clip - filmed in a comedy club when he was in his late 20s - he attempts to joke about his mixed-race friend’s use of the N-word.
The clip, which has now been viewed 250,000 times, circulated after he tweeted about an argument with a Jewish audience member offended by a routine.
Social media users were quick to dredge up the old routines and call for the 35-year-old to be “cancelled”.
Comic Nabil Abdulrashid shared the N-word clip, adding: “This you? Not gonna lie, it’s very fortunate for you that you weren’t doing this material when we gigged together on Saturday.. wtf?
“Just for anyone projecting on here.. the gig has black and Asian people in the audience as it was in Brighton. That is why it’s fortunate”.
Responding to Brown’s apology, stand-up Leila Navabi wrote: “There is a BIG difference between ‘racial language’ and ‘racist language’ and the clip featured the latter.”
But another comedian Freddie Quinne stood up for Brown, tweeting: “S** like this has got to stop. Alfie got called out on Twitter, apologised for it, and whether people want to accept that is up to them.
“But combing through everything he’s ever done, taking clear jokes out of context and threatening venues he’s performing at? Nah. Not for me.”
Brown had previously addressed the controversy around his use of the n-word in a 2018 interview on the BBC‘s No Country For Young Women podcast.
When presenter Monty Onanuga told him that she found his use of the slur offensive, in a routine about coltan mining and slavery, he said that he’d chosen to use the actual word rather than the abbreviated euphemism because “I wanted to do a bit about modern slavery and slavery’s more offensive than the word.
“The fact that you were shocked by the use of the word, everybody should be more shocked and much more shocked by modern slavery ... the myriad ways in which modern slavery takes place. But the fact that we all get to react to a word ... and I have no idea about the individual pain that is caused. But I, essentially in terms of modern slavery, I just chose to offend people with the word to highlight the horror of something I felt was more important than just a reaction to language.”
Co-host and comedian Sadia Azmat suggested it had been a “brave” decision and that it was “hypocritical” to “skirt around the word, just say what you mean, you know it’s inside of you and you probably say it at your white parties with your friends”.
A comedy night at the Camden Head where he was scheduled to perform his latest show ‘Red Flags Galore’ has been cancelled and tickets have been refunded.
Alfie Brown’s parents are composer Steve Brown who played fictional bandleader Glen Ponder in the Steve Coogan show Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge and Spitting Image impressionist Jan Ravens.
He is the partner of Harry Potter star Jessie Cave with the couple sharing four children together.
His 2022 show Sensitive Man was nominated for the main prize of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards.
