Graham Norton appears to have responded to John Cleese’s criticisms about the cancel culture. The Monty Python star has long railed against what he calls “cancel culture,” as well as the presence of “woke” values in media and entertainment.
What is this cancel culture, you wonder? Cancel culture, or the phenomenon of supporting the “cancellation” of people, brands, or even shows and movies owing to what some regard to be offensive or objectionable words or beliefs, is not a new phenomenon.
Graham Norton says Cancel Culture isn’t real
Graham Norton has slammed John Cleese for speaking out against cancel culture, claiming that it is all about being held “accountable” for what you say. The BBC talk show host stated that free speech is not ‘consequence free’ and that ‘cancel’ culture is the ‘wrong word’ to use, instead stating that ‘accountability’ should be used.
Norton slammed the 82-year-old Fawlty Towers star, calling him a “man of a certain age” who has said “whatever he likes for years” and is now being held accountable. He stated that,
“It must be very hard to be a man of a certain age, who’s been allowed to say what he wants for years, and now suddenly there’s some accountability. It’s free speech, but it’s not consequence-free.”
The comedian stated in a recent interview that, while he wasn’t familiar with the broadcast when they approached him, he later learned that it was focused on “free expression,” rather than being especially right-wing.
Norton is believed to have discussed “cancel culture” and Cleese’s outspoken opinions in a recent speech at the Cheltenham Literature Festival.
Graham Norton is against John Cleese’s statement
John Cleese has stated that he has “given up on” modern television and that he would not accept an offer to host a BBC show if one were made to him. He said,
“The BBC have not come to me and said, ‘Would you like to have some one-hour shows?’ and if they did, I would say, ‘Not on your nelly!’ I wouldn’t get five minutes into the first show before I’d been cancelled or censored.”
Cleese has made multiple appearances on The Graham Norton Show, the most recent being in 2014. He stated last year that he would be developing a documentary with Channel 4 titled Cancel Me, which will investigate “why a new ‘woke’ generation is trying to rewrite the rules on what can and can’t be said.” There is currently no definite airdate for the show.
Norton took John Cleese as an example, who has become an outspoken opponent of cancel culture (and is slated to make it a regular topic on his newly announced show on right-wing network GB News), to point out these recent cancel culture trends.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
