Latest news with #BoyGeorge
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
JK Rowling hits back after TV's Lorraine claims trans row 'comes down to toilets'
JK Rowling has hit out at Lorraine Kelly after the Scots television host appeared to dismiss concerns about biological men accessing female-only spaces. Just days after the Harry Potter writer took a swipe at Boy George, the 1980s singer appeared on Lorraine during which the Glasgow-born television host turned to trans issues. Bringing up JK Rowling and Boy George's spat about trans issues the presenter, who claimed the singer 'stood up' for those without a voice, put her hands on her head as she declared it 'always came down to toilets' and 'I don't quite know why'. But Ms Rowling, who has long campaigned for women's rights, took aim at the Scots host, and said: ''Why does it boil down to toilets, tee hee hee?' 'It doesn't, Lorraine. It boils down to intact male rapists in female prisons, men using supposedly female-only rape crisis centres, the decimation of women's sports and the authoritarian attacks on freedom of speech and belief.' Ms Kelly said it had been 'very tough' for people in the 'trans community', and told Boy George he had been 'good' when he has spoken out. The host, 65, referenced his row with Ms Rowling, to which he described her as a 'muggle', and she asked: 'Do you think that we will ever get to a case, where I would love to be, where it really, really doesn't matter, and we just let people get on with their lives?' Boy George, wearing a large pink hat with bright pink stars, told her: 'Most people it doesn't matter, it matters only whether you're a nice person or a horrible person. 'Nobody chooses to be trans or gay, no one chooses to have blue eyes, it just happens.' The pair laughed as he waved down the camera barrel to Ms Rowling and told the writer to 'get over it'. Ms Kelly, whose show ITV bosses have cut back to 30 minutes from January next year amid a huge change to the daytime schedule, said: 'Having friends who are trans and who are going through a really tough time it's just like, let's be fair about stuff, let's talk, and we can all have our points of view, but at the end of the day we're all just people blundering through and trying to get on with our lives.' Boy George then told her: 'But also no one goes into the loo to hang out, it's a horrible place. Smelly, stinky, horrible place. Nobody goes in there to hang out.' Ms Kelly said: 'It always comes down to toilets doesn't it? It always comes down to toilets, and I don't quite know why.' During the interview Ms Kelly said that Boy George, who shot to fame as lead singer in pop band Culture Club, was someone who had 'always stood up for people who sometimes don't have a voice for themselves'. And Ms Rowling, 59, reignited her feud with the singer, and wrote on social media: 'My favourite part is how a man who went to prison for tying up a fellow human being and whipping them with a chain is 'someone who always speaks up for those without a voice'.' The 64-year-old was jailed in 2009 for inflicting 'wholly gratuitous violence' in a cocaine-fuelled attack and handed a 15-month sentence. Passing sentence Judge David Radford said the singer's offence was 'so serious that only an immediate sentence of imprisonment can be justified'. Earlier this month Boy George branded her a 'rich bored bully', to which the Edinburgh-based writer quipped back: 'I've never been given 15 months.'
The Independent
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Boy George takes ‘muggle' swipe at JK Rowling live on air after row
Boy George called JK Rowling a 'muggle' following their social media row over transgender people. Appearing on Lorraine on Wednesday (25 June), where he discussed trans rights, the Culture Club singer said he was 'disappointed' by the Harry Potter author, whose comments on gender ideology have seen her repeatedly come under fire. 'In the movies she creates this beautiful, magical world but in real life, she's a muggle. So it's very disappointing to find out that actually in a way that's not true,' he told Lorraine Kelly. The singer and the author engaged in an online spat earlier this month, after Boy George called Rowling 'a rich, bored bully' over her campaign to preserve women-only spaces. The writer responded by referencing his 2008 conviction for assault and false imprisonment.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'80s Music Legend, 64, Looks Happy and Svelte in Rare Sighting
'80s Music Legend, 64, Looks Happy and Svelte in Rare Sighting originally appeared on Parade. Boy George is looking great these days! The legendary Culture Club frontman attended the press night after party for "This Bitter Earth" at The London EDITION on Tuesday in London, and he looked better than ever. Sporting a chic blue hat, the beloved singer wore a black suit and red shades. He looked happy, svelte, and healthy. We love to see it! For someone who has been through some serious ups and downs in the music industry, it's great to see the music legend thrive. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 In the new documentary, Boy George & Culture Club, the band opens up about their rise to superstardom, including how the song "Karma Chameleon" ultimately was so successful that it became part of their downfall. It was a bit unlike the other songs on their biggest album, 1983's Colour by Numbers. 'We could have put out a fart in a bottle in [1983], it would've been No. 1, and that was it,' guitarist Roy Hay, 63, told PEOPLE at the doc's premiere. 'No, I'm kidding. Here's the thing: It's become a very iconic song, and when we close our concerts with it, and having people singing it back, it's amazing. But if you put it up against the rest of our catalog, it doesn't stand up as a song. But it's a great record.''80s Music Legend, 64, Looks Happy and Svelte in Rare Sighting first appeared on Parade on Jun 25, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Boy George issues sassy message to JK Rowling on live TV after transgender row
Boy George has hit back at Harry Potter author JK Rowling live on ITV's Lorraine following their online feud over her widespread anti-trans commentary Boy George hit back at JK Rowling live on Lorraine this morning, as he addressed their on going social media feud. It comes after the two engaged in a spat on X, following the author's anti-trans commentary. Last week, Boy George called the Harry Potter author a "rich bored bully," leading to a scathing response. She later continued: "For more than half my life I was a regular anonymous person. Some of those years were spent in poverty. That's why I understand the importance of single-sex spaces for women who're reliant on state-funded services," as she continued to speak about her stance against trans-spaces. Addressing the feud on Lorraine this morning, George didn't hold back, as he said: "I think it's hilarious that I'm having a row with someone I've never met and probably never will meet. "In the movies she creates this beautiful magical world and in real life she's a muggle so it's very disappointing to find out that in a way it's not true," The Karma Chameleon singer said live on the ITV morning show. The star then proceeded to address the Harry Potter author, who he believed was watching the show. "I bet she's watching now, morning," he said with a sarcastic wave. He didn't stop there however, as he exclaimed: "Get over it!" Prior to his message to the author, Lorraine praised the star for his support for the transgender community. Speaking on his childhood, George said: "When I was a kid, when I was seven, it was obvious to everyone that I was gay, obviously I didn't know what it was. Parents often know but they don't say anything and think if they don't talk about it, it will go away. "Usually with trans kids, it's the kid that informs the adult through different behaviour. This idea that a parent pushes their kid to be trans is so ridiculous. "I've got friends who've got kids that are trans and it's a nightmare and they struggle; 'should I do the right thing? Should I wait until the kid is eighteen or twenty one,' all of that stuff is real life stuff. It's not two celebrities bickering on the internet.' Lorraine later continued: "Having friends who are trans who are going through a really tough time, let's just be fair, let's talk and we can all have our points of view but at the end of the day we're all just people blundering through and trying to get on with our lives." Earlier this week, Rowling hit back at George's "rich bored bully" comments in a lengthy statement. In part, she said: "There are many differences between us, George, but some are particularly relevant to this debate. "1. You're a man and I'm a woman. 2. You've been wealthy and famous since your early 20s. I didn't become well known until I was well over 30." Later, she continued: "For more than half my life I was a regular anonymous person. Some of those years were spent in poverty. "That's why I understand the importance of single-sex spaces for women who're reliant on state-funded services. That's why I understand why mixed public changing rooms are a problem for women." Boy George isn't the only celebrity to hit out at the author, who has received widespread criticism for her views. Earlier this week, she lashed out at Sir Stephen Fry after he accused her of being "radicalised by TERFs". Fry, who is the narrator for the popular books, previously claimed the author was a "friend of mine" and said he wouldn't "abandon" friendships despite even though his trans friends were "deeply upset" by Rowling. However, he recently called her a 'lost cause' on the podcast The Show People this month. He said: "She has been radicalised, I fear, and it may be she has been radicalised by TERFs, but also by the vitriol that is thrown at her. However, JK Rowling was quick to shut down claims they were ever friends, as she took to X to say: "It is a great mistake to assume that everyone who claims to have been a friend of mine was ever considered a friend by me."
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Boy George sends defiant three-word message to 'very disappointing' JK Rowling live on Lorraine - jeering 'I bet she's watching now' after vicious trans row
Boy George sent a defiant message to JK Rowling during Wednesday's episode of Lorraine - swiping 'I bet she's watching now' after their vicious trans row. The 64-year-old, real name George Alan O'Dowd, took to the studio to chat to host Lorraine Kelly, 65, about his upcoming new music. During the chat Lorraine told him: 'You've always stood up for people who sometimes don't have a voice for themselves... People in the trans community, it's been very rough for them and you've said "No it's not fair".' The singer explained: 'It's real life stuff, not two celebrities bickering on the internet,' making reference to his spats with the Harry Potter author, who has come under fire about her views on trans people. Speaking about their arguments, Boy George said: 'I think it's hilarious that you're having a row with someone that I've never met. I probably never will meet. 'I feel like in the movies she creates this beautiful magic world, in real life she's a muggle. It's very disappointing it's not true.' A muggle is someone in the franchise who is not able to perform magic, typically born of two other muggles. The Dursley family - Petunia (Fiona Shaw), Vernon (Richard Griffiths) and son Dudley (Harry Melling) are all muggles - and Harry's aunt Petunia looks after him at the start of the first movie. Lorraine asked him if he ever thinks that society will get to a place where 'it really, really doesn't matter'. He added: 'For most people it doesn't matter, it matters only if you're a nice person or a horrible person. Nobody chooses to be trans or gay. 'Nobody chooses to have blue eyes, it just happens... 'It's sad that somebody who is so creative. I love the movies, the movies are brilliant, I bet she's watching now...' The star then waved at the camera and said: 'Morning!' As Boy George giggled away to himself, Lorraine replied: 'Maybe she is, maybe she isn't.' He continued to wave at the camera and said: 'Get over it!' It comes after a trans rights row between JK and Boy George escalated earlier tis month as the author referenced the singer's conviction for beating a male escort with a chain. A heated exchange ignited on X after the 63-year-old popstar dubbed the Harry Potter author a 'rich, bored bully'. In a lengthy takedown, Rowling accused the Culture Club star of sneering at 'unenlightened plebs' and quipped: 'I've never been given 15 months for handcuffing a man to a wall and beating him with a chain.' George served four months out of a 15-month jail sentence in 2009 after being found guilty of assault and the false imprisonment of male escort Auden Carlsen. He later said he was prosecuted on his own evidence after he told the police he handcuffed Carlsen. The Karma Chameleon hitmaker tearfully apologised in 2017 when he appeared on Piers Morgan 's Life Stories and described it as a 'psychotic episode'. 'I stopped him from leaving my apartment,' he sighed. 'It's terrible what I did, and I'm ashamed and sorry for what I did. It was wrong.' This morning George hit back at Rowling in another dig by suggesting she was a muggle - a character in the Harry Potter series who lacks any magical ability. On June 15 Rowling pointed out she had spent many years in poverty which is 'why I understand the importance of single-sex spaces for women'. 'You yourself have been convicted of violent assault,' she said. 'The overwhelming number of people who commit crimes of violence are male, just like you. 'That's why I don't want to see men identifying into women's prison cells or any of the spaces mentioned above. Not all men are violent or predatory, but enough are to make safeguarding necessary.' The war of words between Rowing and George started in April and saw the author blast the Culture Club singer after he said that she could not tell the difference between a transgender woman and a biological man. George has expressed support for transgender people online, in line with other stars such as Tilda Swinton and Pedro Pascal, who recently branded Rowling a 'heinous loser' on Instagram. Responding to a tweet suggesting that Pascal - an outspoken supporter of trans rights - was a misogynist, the singer wrote: 'Stop this nonsense that if you don't agree with @jk_rowling you hate women. She hates men. This is where this truth lies. 'She cannot differentiate between a 'trans' woman and a biological male. Which is weird with her imagination?' But Rowling - who now tweets almost daily about what she has called 'sex-based rights' - fired back with an eye-rolling emoji and the retort: 'I do not hate men.' She wrote: 'I'm married to a man, George. I do not hate men. 'I simply live in reality where men - however they identify - commit 98 per cent of sexual assaults, and 88 per cent of victims are female. 'Trans-identified men are no less likely than other kinds of men to pose a risk to women or girls.' She did not elaborate on how many of those committing sexual assaults were thought to be trans. She then added: 'Accusing me of hating men because I don't think trans women should be given access to all women-only spaces does rather suggest that... you're well aware that these are, in fact, men.' Rowling has been vocal on the subject of trans people for several years; in 2018, a spokesperson explained that her 'like' of a tweet calling trans women 'men in dresses' had been a 'middle-aged moment'. And following the Supreme Court judgment on April 17, Rowling has consistently referred to transgender women as being 'men'. The ruling, on an appeal brought by campaign group For Women Scotland, concluded that the legal definition of a woman was that of a biological female, when interpreting the Equality Act. It has led to the Equality and Human Rights Commission overhauling its rules on single-sex spaces - meaning that even trans people with gender recognition certificates (GRC) are still considered to be their biological birth sex. MPs have pointed out that the judgment will likely lead to discrimination against those who do not appear traditionally male or female. Dawn Butler, Labour MP for Brent East, told Parliament on last Tuesday: 'I do not know whether anyone else in the House has butch lesbian friends and has been with them when they have been told to get out of women's toilets, but I have. 'It is not pleasant; it is not nice.' And the ruling likely means that transgender men - who are considered biologically female - will be required to use women's toilets, even if they appear male and have, for example, a beard.
