Jack Maynard quits I’m A Celebrity after racist and homophobic tweets resurface
YouTuber leaves the jungle after three days to ‘defend himself’ after controversy
Vlogger Jack Maynard has withdrawn from I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! after old tweets surfaced in which he used racist and sexist language and a slur against the mentally disabled.
Maynard, 22, who has more than 1.2 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, decided to leave the Australian jungle camp three days into the show to address the controversy.
The offending tweets, published this week by The Sun, show that a teenaged Maynard “casually used the N-word and branded other users ‘retarded’ and ‘f****ts’”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In one tweet, the then-17-year-old Maynard mocked a person with a facial deformity, while in others he rails against his detractors as “retarded faggots”.
“Before going onto the show, Jack has insisted he was not the kind of guy who likes arguments,” the Daily Mirror notes.
Maynard featured yesterday evening’s show, but when viewers were invited to vote for which celebrities they wanted to participate in today’s Bushtucker Trial challenge, Maynard was not included on the list of contestants.
Presenters Ant and Dec then confirmed that Maynard had withdrawn from the programme “due to circumstances outside camp”.
A spokesman for the vlogger said that it was “only fair” that Maynard should be able to defend himself.
“In the last few days Jack Maynard has been the subject of a succession of media stories which, given his position as a contestant on 'I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here' - filmed in the Australian jungle, with no contact with the outside world, he has been unable to respond to,” the statement said.
“Since it is only fair that everyone should be aware of any allegations made against them and should also have the right to defend themselves, it was agreed that it would be better to bring him out of the show.
“Jack agrees with this decision which was made by his representatives and ITV and thanks everyone who has supported him in the show this far.”
The representative added that Maynard, whose brother is singer Conor Maynard, was “ashamed” of the old tweets, which he now accepted were “completely unacceptable”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Ukraine fires ATACMS, Russia ups hybrid war
Speed Read Ukraine shot U.S.-provided long-range missiles and Russia threatened retaliation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York DA floats 4-year Trump sentencing freeze
Speed Read President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing is on hold, and his lawyers are pushing to dismiss the case while he's in office
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Wicked fails to defy gravity
Talking Point Film version of hit stage musical weighed down by 'sense of self-importance'
By Tess Foley-Cox Published
-
I'm a Celebrity 2024: 'utterly bereft of new ideas'?
Talking Point Coleen Rooney is the star attraction but latest iteration of reality show is a case of 'rinse and repeat'
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Polyamory is having a moment(s)
Why Everyone's Talking About The latest in loving more — and those who want less of it
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
The celebrity winners of 2023
Why everyone's talking about Girl power's still got it as Taylor Swift, Barbie and Britney all come out on top
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
From 'thunks' to mixed reality, the future of books is interactive
The Explainer What is in store for literature in an increasingly digital world?
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
If Trump returns to Twitter, he'll win every news cycle
Talking Point
By Joel Mathis Published
-
Yorkshire museum calls on curators to enter battle of the sculpted bums
Speed Read The competition has been welcomed by visitors unable to ‘ogle the buns’ in person
By Aaron Drapkin Last updated
-
‘Wi-Fi router’ or ‘duck’s bill’: Playstation 5 design unveiled to mixed online reviews
Speed Read Sony says new console is ‘most striking yet’
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Alastair Stewart quits over Twitter ‘errors of judgement’
Speed Read Broadcaster speaks of ‘regret’ after using ‘angry ape’ Shakespeare quote in online row
By The Week Staff Published