TV presenter Richard Hammond has been criticised after making a joke about eating ice cream being gay.
The incident happened in front of a studio audience on Amazon motoring show The Grand Tour as Jeremy Clarkson commented on the cream leather interior of a Rolls Royce:
“The only problem is that in one of those, you couldn’t enjoy a chocolate Magnum ice cream.”
Hammond then responded with a ‘joke’ that even Clarkson didn’t seem to find amusing.
“I don’t eat ice cream. It’s something to do with being straight.”
He later added: “Ice cream is a bit… you know?”
Members of the audience laughed and applauded the comments while his co-stars looked on bemused.
Clarkson continued: “You’re saying all children are homosexual?”
To which Hammond replied: “No, there’s nothing wrong with it, but a grown man eating an ice cream, you know, it’s a bit… it’s that way rather than that way.”
But Twitter users understandably aren’t happy about the comments.
Former Clean Bandit star Neil Milan commented: “Homophobia on a show about cars, the most classic white elephant of pathetic threatened masculinity, is so f***ing tragic @RichardHammond ”
While Years & Years singer Olly Alexander tweeted: “Excuse me while I gag on my Cornetto.”
So far Hammond has not commented on the backlash over his comments.
The Grand Tour airs on Amazon Prime every Friday.
