Stand-up comic Nish Kumar has called out the “misogyny” and protection of abusive men that he says is rampant in the comedy industry.
Kumar is one of the contributor’s to the new Netflix documentary Russell Brand: Open Secret, following the comedian’s conviction for rape and sexual assault last week.
Ahead of the doc’s release, the former Mash Report host said on his podcast Pod Save The UK that it had been a “horrific week” for his industry, following Brand’s sentencing and allegations of sexual misconduct that were published against former Little Britain star David Walliams.
Walliams has denied all of the allegations levelled against him.
Kumar told listeners: “It is beyond dispute now that there is a problem in entertainment and comedy with misogyny. There’s a cultural issue that protects these men.
“No one is talented enough to excuse being an abuser. And there is definitely no excuse for not firing somebody that you know is a threat to your workforce.”
He claimed that “systemic change” was required across the industry, pointing out that comedians are “eminently replaceable” and no comic should have people turn a blind eye to unacceptable behaviour.
“Why in the name of God are you endangering your workforce?” he questioned. “No one is talented enough to risk the safety of your workforce. Why have you allowed that to happen?”
“Things will start changing when there is accountability for the enablers of these men,” Kumar added. “If you don’t do that, then we are still going to be in a situation where this keeps on happening.”
Earlier this week, during an interview on Sky News, Lucy Beaumont disclosed that she was one of the “whistleblowers” who spoke to journalists from The Guardian as part of its investigation into Walliams.
During her interview, Beaumont claimed that speaking out in the way she had meant she may never “work again”, suggesting: “The reason high-profile people are not saying anything is because they lose work. It’s because [it’s seen] that you might be a trouble causer.”
