Joe Lycett has been counting down the hours until he shreds £10,000 of his own money at midday today unless David Beckham ends his controversial multi-million-pound deal with Qatar to promote the World Cup.
The Brummy comedian posted an ultimatum on social media last week, warning the former England star that along with the cash, Beckham‘s “status as a gay icon will be shredded”.
Lycett unveiled the deadline in a message directed to Beckham personally, saying he would donate the money to LGBTQ+ charities if the sports star ended the sponsorship deal ahead of the tournament.
In the minute-and-a-half video, which shows Lycett sat at a desk with wads of cash, he praises Beckham as a gay icon, joking that marrying a Spice Girl is “the gayest thing a human being can do”.
Going on to explain that Qatar has been “voted as one of the worst places in the world to be gay”, he appeals to Beckham to rethink his deal with the Middle East country.
It has been reported that Beckham signed a multi-million-pound deal with the FIFA World Cup hosts, which Lycett says is worth £10m – but other reports have put as high as £150m.
Qatar has faced an onslaught of criticism since being chosen as the host nation, with the country’s human rights record and ban on same-sex relationships proving particularly problematic.
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In Qatar, participating in same-sex sexual activity can be punished with up to seven years in prison, or even the death penalty.
The safety of migrant workers and the logistics of holding a football tournament in desert heat have also attracted negative attention.
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Beckham is yet to publicly acknowledge or respond to the ultimatum, prompting Lycett to share a message to Beckham’s PR team asking: “Could you let me know if there’s any chance he might budge on his position, or am I to expect radio silence on this?”
He added: “There’s still time for David and his team to do the right thing.”
He also shared a picture of the £10k and the red woodchipper he will use to shred it.
Lycett has set up a dedicated website to livestream the shredding, which he says will take place at midday, shortly before the World Cup opening ceremony.
There has been a mixed response to the comedian’s pledge to destroy the money, with some praising him for raising awareness of Qatar’s poor human rights record and criminalisation of LGBTQ+ people, while some have urged him to donate the money to a food bank rather than shredding it at a time when the cost of living is soaring.
Comedian Harry Hill commented on Lycett’s pledge on social media, wishing him luck and saying he would be “voting with my feet” and not watching any of the World Cup, or buying any products endorsed by Beckham. For good measure, he added: “I will not be plucking my eyebrows.”
Sky News has contacted Beckham’s and Lycett’s representatives for comment.
The World Cup kicks off today, with the opening ceremony at 2.30pm UK time, and the first match at 4pm UK time, with Qatar playing Ecuador.
Disney-owned ABC said it would be taken off-air indefinitely – and with immediate effect – after network operator Nexstar said it would stop broadcasting the programme.
Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said it “strongly objects” to Kimmel’s comments.
“Mr Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse,” he said, with the show to go off-air to “let cooler heads prevail”.
What happened?
Kimmel called out what he believes is hypocrisy in how Republicans have responded to Mr Kirk’s death.
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11:54
The killing of Charlie Kirk
On the Monday edition of his show, Kimmel drew attention to Capitol rioters who “wanted to hang” Mr Trump’s first term vice president, Mike Pence, for certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election win.
“Was that the liberal left? Or the toothless army who stormed the Capitol on January 6,” said Kimmel.
His remarks saw the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Trump backer Brendan Carr, threaten to “take action” against Disney and ABC.
Mr Trump himself had previously welcomed the prospect of Kimmel’s show being cancelled, describing him on his Truth Social platform as someone with “absolutely NO TALENT”.
A representative for Kimmel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kimmel follows in Colbert’s footsteps
The abrupt removal of Jimmy Kimmel Live comes after fellow late night host Stephen Colbert saw his programme cancelled, which fans claimed was a result of his criticism of Mr Trump.
Mr Trump presents himself as a staunch advocate of free speech, but regularly rails against media organisations which criticise him. This week he launched a lawsuit against The New York Times.
CBS announced in July it would end The Late Show when its current series ends next May.
In a statement, the network said the move was “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
Mr Trump praised the move, saying “his talent was even worse than his ratings”.
Colbert’s Late Show won an Emmy for outstanding talk series for the first time at the weekend.
Robert Redford’s grandchildren have paid tribute to the Hollywood icon with a series of never-before-seen family photos.
Redford died on Tuesday at the age of 89 in the mountains of Utah “surrounded by those he loved”, according to his representative Cindi Berger.
Now Conor Schlosser, the 33-year-old son of Redford’s eldest daughter Shauna Redford, 64, has posted five photos on Instagram with the movie star, including three throwback pictures from his childhood of the pair together.
In them, they are riding a horse, opening a present and playing golf.
Image: Pic: conorschlosser/Instagram
Image: Pic: conorschlosser/Instagram
Image: Pic: conorschlosser/Instagram
Mr Schlosser, 33, also shared two more recent pictures with Redford, including one of them enjoying a meal and the other of him with his arm around his grandfather.
In a caption that accompanied the social media post, he wrote: “He was larger than life to the world, but to his family, he was simply that … family. “Rest in peace, Grandpa.🐎”.”
He added: “If anyone has a favorite story of him you’d like to share, please send it to me in a private message – I’d love to collect them.”
His cousin, Lena Hart Redford, the 29-year-old daughter of Redford’s late son, James Redford, also posted a number of pictures with the Hollywood star on Instagram.
Image: Pic: lilredford/Instagram
Image: Pic: lilredford/Instagram
There were photos of her on a horse with her grandfather and also with him on a film set. She also included a photo of her late father with Redford in the post, which she captioned with a red heart emoji.
Image: Pic: lilredford/Instagram
Image: Pic: lilredford/Instagram
Image: Pic: lilredford/Instagram
And in a tribute on Instagram Stories, she shared a throwback image of her and Redford wearing Kangol-brand beanies. “Taught me so much. … Had us all in Kangol,” she wrote.
She also posted a picture of Redford and her father horseback riding. “Dad & grandpa, I feel like they are riding awesome horses in heaven,” she wrote.
Lena Redford’s brother, Dylan Redford, shared a picture with his grandfather on his Instagram Stories.
He wrote: “He was best grampa a grandson could ask for. He also made amazing things, helped others make amazing things, and tried to make the world a better place.”
Image: Pic: dredford_/Instagram/AP
Redford fathered four children with his first wife Lola Van Wagenen – sons Scott and James and daughters Shauna and Amy.
Scott died in 1959 from sudden infant death syndrome aged only two months, while his younger son James died aged 58 of cancer in 2020.
Redford is survived by his wife Sibylle Szaggars Redford, daughters Shauna and Amy and seven grandchildren.
“I’d miss London. The band is here, I wouldn’t be able to play.”
In Ireland, any Irish citizen over 35 can run for president – but to get on the ballot, a candidate must be nominated by 20 members of parliament or four local authorities.
Geldof said: “I simply wouldn’t have had time.”
He said he had considered it, thinking it could be something “new, interesting and useful”, 50 years after finding fame in The Boomtown Rats, and 40 years after launching Band Aid.
Geldof said he’d briefly spoken to Prime Minister Micheal Martin, asking him: “‘What would you think about Bob Geldof being the candidate for the Fianna Fail Party?’ He said, ‘I think it’d be great, but I’ve already chosen someone’.
“I said, ‘That’s the end of the conversation Taoiseach, thanks very much,’ and that was it.”
Former football manager Jim Gavin was later announced as Fianna Fail’s official candidate.
Image: Geldof performs during Live Aid at Wembley in July 1985. Pic: AP
McGregor, who had promised to curb immigration in order to protect “Irish culture” and to give power “back to the people,” announced he was withdrawing from the race earlier this week.
Ex-Riverdance performer Michael Flatley, 67, has also expressed an interest in running for office.
This year’s ballot deadline is midday on 24 September, a month ahead of the election on 24 October. A largely ceremonial role, representing Ireland at home and abroad, it runs for a seven-year term.
Image: Conor McGregor met Donald Trump at the White House on St Patrick’s Day. Pic: X/@WhiteHouse
‘Please stop,’ Geldof tells Israel
Geldof, who has Jewish heritage and is the Founding Patron of the British Holocaust Museums Aegis Trust for Genocide Studies, also spoke passionately about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Following a UN Commission report which found Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, Geldof said: “When you purposefully starve children as an instrument of war then you are a war criminal.”
He went on: “People simply don’t have the bandwidth to deal with the cost of living, the flag waving, the horror of Ukraine, the horrors of Gaza. They’re just tired, and they just want Israel to please stop it. And the UN has just confirmed that. Stop.”
The accusation of genocide has been made by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Israel’s foreign ministry said it “categorically rejects this distorted and false report” and called for the commission to be abolished.
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Geldof was speaking at the prestigious Sky Arts event, where he was recognised for his influence as a musician and cultural figure over the last five decades with a lifetime achievement award.
Never afraid to be outspoken, he was one of the defining voices of the 1970s punk era before going on to co-create Band Aid and the historic Live Aid concerts, reshaping the relationship between music and global activism.
Geldof performed with his band, The Boomtown Rats, during the ceremony which took place at London’s Roundhouse, hosted by comedian Bill Bailey.