On Tuesday, June 21, British comedian Joe Lycett revealed that an audience member from his recent show had called the police over one of his jokes. The 33-year-old Birmingham native took to his Instagram to share an official email that mentioned the case being closed.
In his post, Lycett mentioned how he had to write a statement explaining the context of the joke that offended the individual. He further assured his followers that the joke would continue to be included in the remainder of his "UK & Ireland 2022" tour.
The comedian did not go into much detail about the joke or which specific part might have offended the audience member.
What did Joe Lycett say about his controversial joke?
According to Lycett, the individual took offense to one particular joke or a part of the said joke. In his Instagram post, the comedian mentioned:
"So someone came to my tour show a few weeks back and was offended by one of the jokes. And their perfectly understandable response to this was… to call the f***ing police."
Lycett further explained how the police were 'nice' about it but felt the need to conduct an investigation due to the complaint. The star of Joe Lycett's Got Your Back said that the investigation required him to write "a statement explaining the context of the joke for them." In the post, the British television presenter also mentioned:
"I particularly enjoyed putting the words, 'giant donkey d*ck,' into a message to a police detective."
The comedian labeled the joke in question as one of the best he had ever written. Joe Lycett quipped in his post that the joke would continue to be included in the tour unless he was jailed for his comment. His ongoing stand-up comedy tour is set to continue until September, with the last show slated to be held in London.
Lycett did not reveal any specificities about the show in the ongoing tour that led to the police investigation. However, GQ reports that it was the one held at Waterfront Hall, Belfast, on June 8. As per the publication, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed that the complaint was made as a result of the aforementioned show.
The investigation is now over, as confirmed by GQ and Joe Lycett himself. The text in the screenshot of the seemingly official email from the police reads:
"Firstly thanks for your help today, it is very much appreciated. I can confirm that police now consider this matter closed."
Joe Lycett's previous controversies
Last year, Lycett made a controversial appearance on UK-based Channel 4 talk show Steph's Packed Lunch. In the episode, the host asked the comedian about a single-use plastic bottle in one of Lycett's Instagram pictures featuring his garden. Following a humorous reply, the British star walked off the show. At the time, many fans speculated that the reference to the single-use plastic bottle brought up by Steph McGovern on the show made Lycett walk off since he had previously pledged to stop using single-use plastic.
Prior to the aforementioned controversy, Joe Lycett legally changed his name to protest against the German luxury fashion brand Hugo Boss. At the time, the brand faced allegations of sending cease-and-desist letters to small businesses and charities that used the word "boss" in their title.
However, the brand later addressed the controversy claiming that they had reached an amicable resolution with one of the brands they had blocked from using the word.