Ofcom has ruled they won’t be taking action against ‘The Wright Stuff’, after ‘The Chase’ star Anne Hegerty raised eyebrows with a comment that journalist and LGBT+ activist Paris Lees “used to be a boy”.
The media regulator received two complaints over the comments, which aired in March, during a debate between Anne and Paris about whether the gender pay gap and idea of a “boys’ club” in the corporate world were real.
When Paris suggested that the “boys’ club” argument was valid, Anne declared: “Well, you used to be a boy, you’d know that.”
The remark left a brief moment of uncomfortable silence hanging in the studio, at which point presenter Matthew Wright, without commenting on it, attempted to move the conversation along. An apology was aired the following day, read out by guest host Anne Diamond.
While Ofcom acknowledged that such remarks were “capable of causing unacceptable harm and offence”, they also revealed that Paris Lees told the Channel 5 show’s production team that no apology was necessary.
Ofcom noted: “Channel 5 said it was confident that if a similar remark were to be made in the future, it would be dealt with ‘clearly and decisively’.”
No further action will be taken by Ofcom.
Last month, Matthew Wright announced that he would be stepping down from ‘The Wright Stuff’ after 18 years as its presenter.
Channel 5 has said they hope to continue making the show, though it’s not known who will replace him as host, or whether the show will undergo a name change.