Laurence Fox apologises to Ava Evans over comments on GB News

Published

2 years ago

September 28, 2023

admin

Laurence Fox has apologised to journalist Ava Evans over his comments on GB News.

In a 15-minute mea culpa, the actor-turned-political-activist said his comments were “demeaning” and “not representative of who I am”.

However, Fox said he maintained “the sentiment” of his comments, saying he was angry about what he said was Ms Evans demeaning male suicide.

During those comments about Ms Evans – a journalist for the website PoliticsJOE – he asked host Dan Wootton: “Who would want to shag that?”

In the video, posted on his account on X, formerly known as Twitter, he said: “I could have and should have expressed it better.

“It’s not right, it’s demeaning to Ava, so I’m sorry for demeaning you in that way, however angry I am with you still for doing that, and it demeans me because it’s not representative of who I am.

“I’m not saying any of this stuff because I know I’m going to get sacked tomorrow. I’m saying it to clear my own conscience.”

He added: “I express my apology to Ava for the language used, but I maintain the sentiment.”

It comes after media regulator Ofcom launched a formal investigation into GB News after it received thousands of complaints about Fox’s comments on Wootton’s show on Tuesday.

Fox was suspended by GB News following the remarks about Ms Evans, which have been described as “unacceptable, unjustifiable and indefensible”.

Wootton’s contract as a columnist for MailOnline was also terminated on Thursday, according to a spokesperson for the news website’s parent company, DMG Media.

As Fox’s comments drew widespread condemnation, Wootton offered an apology to Ms Evans in a public post on X, in which he described the reporter as “brilliant”.

He apologised “unreservedly” for what was said during the show and conceded he should have done this immediately on air.

Wootton, who could be seen laughing as Fox made his remarks, reiterated his “regret” over the incident in another social media post on Wednesday morning “having looked at the footage” of what he described as a “bizarre exchange”.

“I should have intervened immediately,” he said, adding: “I know I should have done better. I’m devastated…”

In his video, Fox accused Wootton of throwing him “under the bus” with the comments.

Fox also said he was “99.999% sure” that both he and Wootton were going to be “sacked” by GB News on Friday, adding: “Or certainly they are going to sack me.”

The row started after Fox said on GB News: “Show me a single self-respecting man that would like to climb into bed with that woman, ever, ever, who wasn’t an incel?”

“That little woman has been fed… spoon-fed oppression day after day after day… starting with the lie of the gender wage gap, and she’s sat there and I’m going, if I met you in a bar and that was like sentence three, chances of me just walking away are just huge,” Fox added.

“We need powerful, strong, amazing women who make great points for themselves, we don’t need these sort of feminist 4.0… they’re pathetic and embarrassing. Who would want to shag that?”

The comments were aired live on GB News following Ms Evans’s appearance on the BBC’s Politics Live show, where she discussed topics including mental health.

Fox was asked about Ms Evans’ critical comments about suggestions there should be a minister for men to address mental health.

After the incident, Ms Evans said she was “really hurt” by Fox’s comments, which were about her “body rather than her work”.

She later said her remarks on the BBC were “a little rash” and said she was “actually very interested in a brief for a minister on young men’s mental health”.

Ofcom announced on Thursday that it was launching an investigation into Fox’s comments.

The regulator said in a statement: “We have launched an investigation into GB News under our rules on offence, after receiving around 7,300 complaints about Tuesday’s episode of Tonight with Dan Wootton.”

Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s chief executive, said the regulator’s rules were “designed to protect audiences from offensive and harmful material, and to uphold the integrity of broadcast news and current affairs programming, while always ensuring that freedom of expression is front and centre in every decision we take”.

“This is highly valued by audiences and central to our democracy,” she added.

“The decisions we take, always based on facts and evidence once a programme has aired, are vital if we are to protect our vibrant media landscape. We continue to apply and enforce these rules without fear or favour.”

Entertainment

Dolly Parton says ‘I ain’t dead yet’ after health fears triggered by singer’s sister

Published

13 hours ago

October 9, 2025

admin

Dolly Parton says 'I ain’t dead yet' after health fears triggered by singer's sister

Dolly Parton has declared she “ain’t dead yet” after her sister raised concerns about the singer’s health by asking people to pray for her.

“There are just a lot of rumours flying around. But I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was okay,” the 79-year-old singer said in a new two-minute video posted on social media.

“I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me. And I ain’t done working,” she added.

In the footage, captioned “I ain’t dead yet!”, the 9 to 5 singer is seen on a set speaking directly to the camera.

On Tuesday, a Facebook post shared by her sister Freida Parton escalated concerns around Parton’s health when she wrote that she had been “up all night praying for my sister, Dolly”.

Hours later, Freida Parton followed up with a clarification. “I want to clear something up. I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly,” she wrote.

“She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer.”

Last month, Parton postponed her first Las Vegas residency in 32 years, citing “health challenges”.

She was scheduled to perform six shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in December. The dates have been moved to next September

Parton offered her own clarification about her health condition in Wednesday’s video.

“Everyone thinks that I am sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here! Anyway, I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease, those of you who seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate,” she continued.

“And I appreciate your prayers because I’m a person of faith. I can always use the prayers for anything and everything.”

She also referenced her late husband of nearly 60 years Carl Dean who died earlier this year at the age of 82.

“I want you to know that I’m OK. I’ve got some problems as I’ve mentioned. Back when my husband Carl was very sick, that was for a long time, and then when he passed, I didn’t take care of myself. So I let a lot of things go that I should’ve been taking care of,” she said.

“So anyway, when I got around to it, the doctor said: ‘We need to take care of this. We need to take care of that.’ Nothing major, but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home, closer to Vanderbilt, where I’m kind of having a few treatments here and there.”

And in true Parton fashion, she ended with a joke: “I wanted you to know that I’m not dying”.

Entertainment

Dolly Parton is ‘going to be just fine’, country singer’s sister says

Published

1 day ago

October 8, 2025

admin

Dolly Parton is 'going to be just fine', country singer's sister says

Dolly Parton’s sister has said that the country singer is “going to be just fine” after worrying fans by asking for prayers.

Freida Parton had asked people for prayers for the Jolene and I Will Always Love You singer on Tuesday.

“Last night, I was up all night praying for my sister, Dolly. Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately,” Ms Parton wrote in a Facebook post.

“I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been [led] to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me.

“She’s strong, she’s loved, and with all the prayers being lifted for her, I know in my heart she’s going to be just fine. Godspeed, my sissy Dolly. We all love you!”

After shocked fans took to social media expressing worry about Parton’s health, her sister said in a second post on Wednesday: “I want to clear something up. I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly.

“She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer. It was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister.”

It comes after Parton announced in September that she had to postpone her upcoming Las Vegas residency over “health challenges”.

“As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures,” the singer said at the time.

“As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!”

Parton said she was postponing the shows because she is “not going to be able to rehearse and put together the show that I want you to see. You pay good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you”.

The country star was set to perform six shows at Caesars Palace in December, but her performance dates have been moved to September 2026.

“Don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet,” Parton said as she announced the postponement of her shows. “But I believe he is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you.”

Entertainment

Robin Williams’s daughter begs people to stop sending her AI videos of her father

Published

2 days ago

October 7, 2025

admin

Robin Williams's daughter begs people to stop sending her AI videos of her father

The daughter of late actor Robin Williams has begged people to stop sending her AI-generated “slop” of her father.

“Please, just stop sending me AI videos of Dad,” actor and director Zelda Williams wrote on Instagram on Monday.

“To watch the legacies of real people be condensed down to ‘this vaguely looks and sounds like them so that’s enough’, just so other people can churn out horrible TikTok slop puppeteering them is maddening.”

She described the videos as “disgusting, over-processed hotdogs” made from the lives of human beings.

“You’re […] shoving them down someone else’s throat hoping they’ll give you a little thumbs up and like it. Gross,” she wrote.

It’s not the first time Williams has written about the impact of people sending her content about her father on social media.

In 2020, on the anniversary of her father’s death, Williams posted on Instagram saying:

“While I am constantly touched by all of your boundless continued love for him, some days it can feel a bit like being seen as a roadside memorial – a place, not a person – where people drive past and leave their sentiments to then go about their days comforted their love for him was witnessed.”

“But sometimes, that leaves me emotionally buried under a pile of others’ memories instead of my own.”

The death of Robin Williams in 2014, an actor and comedian known for his quick wit and wisdom, triggered a global outpouring of grief and tributes to the star still frequently surface on social media to this day.

In 2023, Zelda appealed for the end of AI-generated content, saying in a widely-reported post on Instagram:

“I’ve witnessed for YEARS how many people want to train these models to create/recreate actors who cannot consent, like Dad. This isn’t theoretical, it is very very real.”⁠
⁠
“I’ve already heard AI used to get his ‘voice’ to say whatever people want and while I find it personally disturbing, the ramifications go far beyond my own feelings.”