Brit Awards 2019: Jack Whitehall's Little Mix 'Scatter Cushion' Jokes Sparks Ofcom Complaints

"Are you remotely aware of the work these girls are doing to challenge this objectivity?"

While Jack Whitehall’s stint hosting the Brit Awards last night went down a storm with many viewers, some took issue with one of his jokes.

After Little Mix’s performance, Jack left some fans unimpressed when he commented that the band’s “raunchy” appearance had left “dads up and down the country awkwardly fumbling for a scatter cushion”.

Jack Whitehall
Jack Whitehall
Victoria Jones - PA Images via Getty Images

And on Thursday morning, broadcasting watchdog Ofcom confirmed they’ve already received 25 complaints about the gag, which they will be assessing before deciding whether to launch an investigation, as is standard procedure.

Jack’s joke about the girl group was also picked up on by Twitter users, who said they felt he’d crossed a line and degraded the band with his comments:

@LittleMix just pulled off an impressively choreographed routine and @jackwhitehall immediately refers to men needing scatter cushions. Are you remotely aware of the work these girls are doing to challenge this objectivity?#BRITS2019

— Alice Eva (@aliceeva93) February 20, 2019

that joke Jack Whitehall made about dads across the country hiding their hard on’s from watching Little Mix’s set just after Matty from the 1975 had addressed misogyny in the music industry is literally disgusting.

— Ryan 🅴 (@RyanHarrry) February 20, 2019

Did Jack Whitehall really just comment on little mix's song about female empowerment saying "I bet dads up and down the country are scrambling for a cushion right now"?!?! That's just insulting

— Alanna Dunleavy (@Lannas_art) February 20, 2019

Jack Whitehall reducing the incredibly talented Little Mix women down to a crass cheap erection gag#BRITS2019

— Sarah Ward (@Sarah_Ward50) February 20, 2019

@jackwhitehall empowering female artists with the ‘scatter cushion’ comment. #BritAwards2019 #mustdobetter

— Stef Williams (@DizzyChick0) February 20, 2019

So one band rambling about misogynistic men.. then Jack Whitehall puts his foot in it with a scatter cushion joke.. eh.. get your message straight!

— Sarah (@SJKR8) February 20, 2019

An incredible powerhouse performance by @LittleMix and all Jack Whitehall can come up with is ‘raunchy’. ‘Dads will Be searching for a scatter cushion’. The sexism is just ridiculous.

— Anthony (@ant_917) February 20, 2019

#littlemix just did *THAT* and jack whitehall just proved again how sexist the @BRITs are. rather than talking about how incredible and show-stopping the girls were, he just called them “raunchy” and said dads had to cover their boners with a fucking cushion. like??? #brits

— woman like lei 💛 (@OhWonderJesy) February 20, 2019

A similar joke was made during the Brits by then-host James Corden back in 2011, when he introduced Rihanna’s medley performance, commenting: “Guys if you’re watching this with the wife, it’s time to grab that scatter cushion.”

Ofcom also revealed that they’d received a further 13 complaints from viewers about other incidents during the Brits, which they’ll also be assessing.

Inappropriate jokes aside, it was a big night for Little Mix, who picked up the award for Best British Video, their first time winning in that category.

Little Mix on stage at the Brits
Little Mix on stage at the Brits
Karwai Tang via Getty Images

Their performance of hit single Woman Like Me, which featured a guest rap from rising British star Ms Banks, was also hailed as one of the best of the night.

On their way into the event, they also made headlines when each of them posed separately from the group with their boyfriends, apart from Jesy Nelson, who brought along a pal as her guest.

CORRECTION: This article initially stated that Ofcom had received 38 complaints about Jack Whitehall’s joke. In fact, 38 complaints were received about the ceremony in general, 25 of which related to the joke in question.

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