Frank Skinner admits to using racist, sexist and homophobic slurs during his youth, but insists they were a sign of the culturally divided decade in which he grew up.
The comedian, 65, was raised on a council estate in working class Oldbury, West Midlands during the 1970s, a decade of economic decline, soaring unemployment and social unrest for the United Kingdom.
And he admits to adopting the decade’s then widely accepted negative language surrounding sexuality, gender and ethnicity because it was the norm.
Admission: Frank Skinner admits to using racist, sexist and homophobic slurs during his youth, but insists they were a sign of the culturally divided decade in which he grew up
He told the Hay Festival: ‘I’ll be straight with you now, I grew up in the West Midlands in the ‘60s and ‘70s. I used racist language, I was sexist, I was homophobic.
‘I completely own up to that. I have evolved and that’s a good thing. When I look back, I’m ok with that.’
The Me Too movement and Black Lives Matter have helped change the narrative, and Skinner now believes the country has progressed, with greater representation of minorities within the media and a blanket intolerance to offensive language.
A different time: The comedian says he adopted the widely accepted negative language surrounding sexuality, gender and ethnicity in the 1970s, because it was the norm.
Moving on: He also believes times have changed for the better as he raises his 10-year old son Buzz – the comedian’s only child with long-term partner Cath Mason
He also believes the bodes well for the next generation, including his 10-year old son Buzz – the comedian’s only child with long-term partner Cath Mason.
He said: ‘My kid, I can learn from him. He’s fine with gender politics, he’s fine with race. He doesn’t even question it. We talk about those things. The future is going to be a lot better.’
Skinner has previously been criticised for lampooning black footballer Jason Lee while hosting Fantasy Football League with David Baddiel.
Controversy: Skinner has previously been criticised for lampooning black footballer Jason Lee while hosting Fantasy Football League with David Baddiel
Old times: The comedian was raised on a council estate in working class Oldbury, West Midlands during the 1970s (Pictured: Skinner in 1992)
The pair had compared Lee’s dreadlocked hairstyle to a ‘pineapple’ during a sketch that involved Baddiel doing blackface, something he has since apologised for.
He told the i Paper in 2021: ‘I’m happy to keep on apologising because I do know that not everyone’s seen the latest apology. You make statements, and not everyone sees them, they often just fizzle in the air.
‘You’re trying to explain that you made a mistake and that there are things you didn’t understand, but some people want to be able to say, “you’re a terrible person”, and I think there’s a thrill to anger too.’
The skit had lasting implications, with the footballer often targeted by racist hooligans as a consequence while on the pitch.
Lee said at the time: ‘You’re talking about ethnicity – a lot of black people would wear dreadlocks and feel deeply offended by someone who’s getting mocked for a similar hairstyle. The implications were far wider.’
Lampooned: The pair had compared Lee’s dreadlocked hairstyle to a ‘pineapple’ during a sketch that involved Baddiel doing blackface, something he has since apologised for
Skinner once revealed that he did not help an attractive woman struggling with her suitcase at an airport because he feared it might be seen as harassment and wreck his career.
The comedian spoke of his dilemma during an appearance on ITV’s Good Morning Britain in 2020.
He told presenters Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan: ‘I’m frightened to stare any more, whoever it is. I saw an attractive woman trying to close a suitcase at the airport.
‘She was really struggling. I didn’t go over and help because I’ve got my career to think of.’
