Joe Lycett has responded to accusations of hypocrisy about his criticism of David Beckham.
Recently, the comedian claimed to shred £10,000 in protest of Beckham’s ties to the World Cup host country Qatar, where homosexuality is prohibited.
However, the Sun noted that Lycett had been compensated for performances in the country earlier in his career.
Lycett stated that he never attempted to conceal the shows and made a mocking remark to the Sun’s “immaculate morality.”
A UK comedy promoter paid him “a few hundred pounds” for the events in 2015, and he stated he would have reconsidered playing the gigs if a similarly prominent comedian had shredded money in protest.
“Perfect retrospect”
As same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar, many LGBTQ supporters boycotted the recent Fifa men’s World Cup in protest of the country’s persecution of gays.
Lycett faked to shred £10,000 last month in protest of Beckham’s endorsement of Qatar as the country’s ambassador. According to reports, the former England captain signed a £10 million contract with the World Cup hosts.
The comedian’s marketing stunt was widely covered by news outlets and led to him hosting a show on Channel 4 titled Joe Lycett versus David Beckham.
But on Thursday, the Sun reported that Lycett was “in the center of a hypocritical storm” after it was revealed that he had previously performed in contentious Gulf states.
In his 2016 autobiography, the comedian writes of performing in Dubai, and Abu Dhabi, both in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
In his Twitter comment, Lycett stated, “Oops! I’ve been fooled by The Sun! I performed two concerts in Doha in 2015 and kept it a complete secret by writing about it in my book and mentioning it in numerous interviews, including one with the New York Times!
If you’re curious, I was paid a few hundred pounds (not by Qatar, but by UK comedy producers) in 2015, but back then, that amount went much further. I believe it would have made a difference if a popular comic of the time (such as Shane Ritchie) had shredded a few hundred pounds to convince me not to go. But who knows?
“I lack the immaculate foresight and impeccable morals of, to choose a random example, The Sun newspaper.”
Some of Lycett’s followers reached out to him via social media to promote his performances. One said, “You didn’t appear to have any difficulty accepting Qatari currency that night.”
In a statement released last week, a spokesman for David Beckham said, “We recognize that there are differing and strongly-held opinions regarding engagement in the Middle East, but view it as a positive that the first World Cup to be held in the region has directly stimulated debate on the key issues.
“We hope that these dialogues will lead to greater understanding and compassion for all individuals, and that progress will be made.”
