has received 954 Ofcom complaints after a row over people, which saw the hosts compare them to “paedos” and “deviants”.
Fans vowed to boycott the channel when presenter Josh Howie discussed a speech from the Episcopalian Bishop of Washington in January, who addressed President to beg him to show compassion to marginalised groups.
The statement backed the “full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons” – and ‘comedian’ Howie remarked: “I just want to say that that includes paedos.”
Separate comments from when discussing trans rights heard her say: “Some of these fellas that go around dressed as women with their fake bits in their bras, they are deviants, quite frankly.”
Commentator Robin Moira White – who often weighs in on trans issues on the network – said she raised concerns with bosses “at a senior level” but was ignored.
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GB News has been blasted with Ofcom complaints (Image: GB News)
She said of the executive she contacted at GB News: “I can see on WhatsApp that they’ve received the message, but I’ve had no response. Therefore, I have to assume GB News are entirely happy with what’s happened.”
Referring to Howie’s comment, she added: “I have always taken the view that I should be prepared to put a trans perspective even with broadcasters such as GB News. This clip changes that.”
Howie has since apologised for his comments, stating on February 9th: “On 22nd of January on Headliners, the GB News late-night paper review show featuring three comedians – you should watch it, it’s great – we covered a story about a bishop who had rebuked Trump to his face as he was creating protections for women and children against gender ideology.
Michelle Dewberry branded trans people ‘deviants’ (Image: GB News)
“At the end of that segment – you only get two or three minutes for each story – I made a joke about how going against child protection might be a bit rich coming from a church, and I quoted from their website and said the type of church that she belongs to, the Diosces? talks about the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons – I just want to say that includes paedos.
“It was a joke about churches, as much as anything else. I would like here to add a little comment to that. For over three years on the channel I have followed the lead of a group of homosexual campaigners who want to take back the LGB from the TQIA+. This has already happened in America.
“One of the reasons for doing so is the LGB don’t want to be associated with what’s included in the Q+. What is in it? Nobody knows. They are deliberately open-ended terms, that anybody can identify into.”
He argued that paedophiles are attaching themselves into the ‘Q’ part of the LGBTQ+ – eventually admitting: “I didn’t say LGB people are paedophiles… I apologise to anyone who thought that was what I was saying.”
Here’s the full clip. A few things I’d please like you to note. 1. It’s a comedy show. Where three comedians make jokes as we review the next day’s newspapers. 2. This story was about the response of Trump to a Bishop who’d given a self-righteous sermon in front of him.…
— Josh Howie (@joshxhowie)
He elaborated on X: “A few things I’d please like you to note. 1. It’s a comedy show. Where three comedians make jokes as we review the next day’s newspapers.
“[…] Thinking this was a bit rich coming from a Bishop, and being a comedian, on a comedy show, I made a joke about paedophilia in the church (bit hack), connecting it to the wrong ‘uns in the + that she was seemingly advocating for.
“A point I and other advocates for LGB rights have repeatedly made before. I then quote from their website ‘It talks about the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons, I just want to say that that includes paedos! If you’re talking about the FULL inclusion!’ And how we laughed and further riffed off the back of it.”
Fans have been threatening to boycott the show, while campaign group Stop Funding Hate has urged advertisers to pull their ads from the network.
A statement on X read: “Linking LGBTQ+ inclusion to paedophilia is a toxic and dangerous trope. Please take action to urge Sky to pull their ads from GB News.”
GB News has faced Ofcom furor before – in 2024 its Ask programme saw it fined £100,000 for breaking due impartiality rules for featuring the PM with limited critical voices.