Lord Alan Sugar has posted a response after facing a backlash over a tweet he posted about having had “enough puffs” come through his boardroom.
In the early hours of Monday morning, the ‘Apprentice’ star replied to one fan who sent him a mocked-up Sugar Puffs box with his face on it, joking: “I found your next business venture.”
However, his reply of “I have enough puffs who come through my boardroom” quickly garnered a negative reaction, with many suggesting his use of the term “puffs” had homophobic intent.
Setting the record straight in a string of tweets, Lord Sugar explained that he’d been referring to “people full of hot hair” rather than gay people.
Tweeting a public response to the Mail Online – who he accused of “trying to stir up trouble” with their coverage of the controversy – he wrote: “A lady posted a funny picture of me on a Sugar Puffs cereal packet. I replied Hah.. I have enough puffs coming through my board room. Meaning PEOPLE FULL OF HOT AIR . So go to hell you horrible sh..s[sic].
“I just woke up in a good mood on a very sunny day in Florida. remembering t wish all my followers a very merry Christmas.First thing I see is a load of bollo..... from SCUM @MailOnline who have nothing better to do than scour social media to see what trouble they can cause.”
HuffPost UK has contacted representatives for Alan Sugar, ‘The Apprentice’ and the BBC for further comment and is awaiting responses.
Back in June, the businessman was forced to apologise for a racist joke he tweeted about the Senegalese football team during the World Cup, likening them to beach market sellers.
After taking heat on social media, he was initially unrepentant, tweeting: “Just been reading the reaction to my funny tweet about the guy on the beach in Marbella . Seems it has been interpreted in the wrong way as offensive by a few people. “Frankly I can’t see that I think it’s funny. But I will pull it down if you insist.”
An hour later, he changed his approach, saying: “I misjudged me earlier tweet. It was in no way intended to cause offence, and clearly my attempt at humour has backfired. I have deleted the tweet and am very sorry.”
The most recent series of ‘The Apprentice’ concluded earlier this month, with Sian Gabbidon winning an investment from Lord Sugar for her high-fashion swimwear business.
UPDATE: This story has been amended to include Lord Sugar's responses on Twitter.