Janey Godley Stars in Government’s COVID Ads Despite Shocking Racist Tweets

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Scottish comic Janey Godley was lauded in a number of glowing profiles for preserving the nation laughing by means of robust occasions. A lot so, in truth, that the Scottish authorities lately paid her a reported £12,000 ($16,500) to become the star of its new public health campaign to “cease the spike” as case numbers rose once more.

Nevertheless, the Scottish authorities ignored dozens of Godley’s shockingly racist tweets—and, a day after being offered with a listing of them by The Day by day Beast, the federal government has taken no motion and ignored a number of alternatives to distance itself from the outrageous feedback.

A look at Godley’s historic tweets present that, though she now presents herself in step with the center-left Scottish authorities’s inclusive messaging, that was not all the time the case. The Day by day Beast confirmed the federal government 20 blatantly racist tweets from Godley that have been despatched between 2010 and 2012, when Godley, 60, was in her early 50s. The offensive tweets principally reference Black American celebrities together with Kelly Rowland from Future’s Baby, 50 Cent, and Snoop Dogg—but additionally random Black members of the general public.

A number of of essentially the most stunning tweets have been despatched whereas Rowland was judging The X Issue expertise present in Britain in 2011, and it seems Godley took a dislike to how the singer seemed and spoke. One tweet learn: “Fucksake That horsey face black wummin on Xfactor is flashing her tits…is that this not a youngsters present?” One other stated: “Kelly does converse just like the stereotyped black Aunt Jemima who stands on a stool within the Tom & Jerry cartoons screaming ‘TOM TOM.’” A 3rd tweet from Godley described the Future’s Baby star as “the black horse from USA.”

There are a number of extra tweets about Rowland which are clearly racist, together with: “If Kelly talks like a ghetto blaster racist black chick am gonna punch her rice and peas.”

Godley, a veteran comic and a supporter of Scotland’s pro-independence devolved authorities, shot to international on-line fame in 2016 after a photograph of her holding a sign saying “Trump is a cunt” outdoors one of many ex-president’s Scottish resorts went viral. At first of the pandemic, she racked up a whole lot of 1000’s of views by dubbing over public well being briefings from Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, in Glaswegian slang.

The comic was praised the world over for her comedy through the pandemic. The Wall Street Journal described her as “one of many causes Scotland thus far has carried out higher in containing the pandemic than different international locations.” Jason Leitch, the senior scientific adviser to the Scottish authorities—mainly Scotland’s Dr. Anthony Fauci—stated final yr: “I truthfully suppose Janey’s carried out extra for public-health recommendation than I’ve carried out in 11 months.”

In an try and capitalize on her viral recognition, the Scottish authorities warmly welcomed the comic into the nation’s institution. Sturgeon appeared with Godley in a charity comedy sketch final yr, and the primary minister even described the comedian as her “alter ego.” Then, final week, the Scottish authorities unveiled a new coronavirus awareness ad marketing campaign that stars Godley saying strains in her typical ultra-Scottish type reminiscent of: “We cannae simply let this virus run rampant like a wean [child] at a buffet.” The adverts have run on-line and on nationwide TV.

Apart from her abhorrent X Issue tweets, Godley additionally wrote a number of racist tweets about Black U.S. rappers. She repeatedly tagged 50 Cent in her posts—one stated: “There’s nothing classier than a black rap man in a properly minimize go well with with picture’s of weapons within the background…mmm horny.” One other stated: “If it wasn’t the very fact he’s an enormous black man speaking about his dick I would not have recognized he was a rapper?” 50 Cent once responded to Godley after being bombarded together with her tweets, telling her: “take yo large ass to sleep in case you dont like what im saying.”

One other rapper, Snoop Dogg, was talked about in a tweet which learn: “I can not consider snoop canine will get jailed for possessing weed—he is a black rapper after all he has weed that is his job is not it? And singing.” The comic additionally complained about Black followers of Kanye West who messaged her after she in contrast the African slave commerce to pressured evictions from the Scottish Highlands within the 18 and nineteenth centuries: “The quantity of black individuals irritated I wrote ‘we’re descendants of highlands clearances’ to Kanye. offended are ye? get fucked.”

Godley’s offensive tweets about rappers included one other from 2010 through which she wrote: “simply watch Justin Beiber video they should cease leaving the wee boy with large black fats rappers at events..who’s taking care of that youngster?” Godley additionally referred to as Italian soccer player Mario Balotelli an “indignant black man,” and even complained about encounters with Black individuals in public.

One among her tweets stated: “Bought accosted with 2 ‘american rap’ talking black guys one had a hairnet within the Burger King ‘i’ll pop a cap in yer hairnet’ i stated.” One other historic tweet from Godley learn: “In lodge room which resembles a jail There are large black males subsequent room pretending to be laborious core rappers ! Not on this lodge luv!”

The comic has additionally repeatedly ridiculed the work of her Black comedy colleagues in Britain, writing in a single tweet: “Can some Black male comics not inform us the scale of their cock?” Godley additionally tweeted a decade in the past: “Had been all black guys who grew to become comedians the ONLY black man in school in London within the 80s? actually? have been they actually all good at dancing?”

As of Wednesday, all the tweets talked about on this article have been nonetheless stay on Godley’s verified Twitter profile. They have been deleted after The Day by day Beast despatched a listing of them to Godley’s consultant in a request for remark.

In a press release despatched to The Day by day Beast, Godley stated: “These historic tweets that folks have fairly rightly discovered offensive, are deeply hurtful and reveals my lack of empathy and nil self-awareness and are available from a time of ignorance in my life, I’m a agency believer in progress not perfection, I’ll proceed to progress. Individuals have each proper to see who they’re supporting and what values they maintain and searching by means of their previous social media is the best way ahead. I apologise for each single offensive phrase I wrote.”

The comic added: “The offensive replies from me have been to accounts that threatened me and I lashed out with abhorrent heckles. Their accounts have been suspended, I ought to have blocked and reported them and never argued again. Comedy isn’t any excuse for stunning and hurting individuals with phrases. I’ll endeavour to be higher in future.”

Nevertheless, regardless of Godley’s declare, many of the tweets detailed on this article weren’t despatched as replies to different accounts.

She went on in her assertion: “There are pretend tweets that have been created to threaten me, however however, those I wrote, I take accountability for. Throughout the course of this pandemic, I’ve tried to maintain everybody’s spirits up and on the identical time spotlight the hazards. I’m obsessed with this and can proceed to assist in any means I can.”

The Scottish authorities has not responded to a number of requests for remark regardless of being made conscious of Godley’s racist tweets. The video of Godley’s public well being advert remained stay on the federal government’s YouTube web page as of Thursday morning.