Ofcom dismisses 1,600 pathetic complaints about trans comedian Jordan Gray’s iconic naked skit
Jordan Gray was praised by many viewers for her comedy routine on Friday Night Live. (Channel 4)
Ofcom has dismissed more than 1,600 complaints about Jordan Gray’s hilarious – and totally naked – performance on Channel 4’s Friday Night Live.
The TV regulator has told PinkNews it received a total of 1,644 complaints about Gray’s moment of joyful trans expression where she bared it all to play the keyboard with her penis to her song “Better Than You”.
Having assessed complaints regarding the 21 October, Ofcom said it would not investigate the “post-watershed comedy and music show” further.
“In our view, audiences would be likely to have expected controversial humour from this one-off special reviving an established alternative comedy series,” it says in a statement.
“We also took into account the time of the broadcast, which came more than an hour after the watershed, and the advance on-air warnings about very strong language and adult humour.”
‘I haven’t had a Yorkie bar in five years.’ – Jordan Gray (@Talldarkfriend) on the difficulties of being transgender. What a moment. #FridayNightLive #TruthAndDare pic.twitter.com/3o34Dl2es1
— Channel 4 (@Channel4) October 21, 2022
The performance generated backlash from ‘gender critical’ voices, which were outraged by the sight of a trans woman’s body – some even going as far as labelling it a “sex crime” and making absurd calls for Gray to be arrested.
But for Gray, the performance and feedback she saw was nothing but positive.
“I cried on the way home,” she told PinkNews.
“I got in a taxi after the after-party, and I saw a consolidation of a load of the best comments and it was people saying, ‘I just feel seen’ or ‘I feel like I don’t need to feel ashamed and I haven’t had that feeling yet’.”
Gray added that she hoped her appearance would help normalise trans bodies.
“It’s not a long clinical conversation and what it means to be a man and a woman,” she added.
“It’s a large nude person just joyful expressing themselves. So everyone can get on board for that.”
But Gray admitted she was frustrated to see some people had taken the lyrics of her song literally.
“I’m a comedian, and people taking the lyrics of the song at face value has been the bane of comedians’ lives for the last 100 years.
“I will continue to try and chat with everybody because that’s my job.
“I want to change the conversation so that in 10 years, 20 years, whatever it is, trans people don’t have to have this conversation.”
Following her iconic performance Gray has become the first trans entertainer to have their own show at The London Palladium, with her sell-out Edinburgh Film Festival show: Is It A Bird?
