Bullying on TV

Blikes

I just watched Alan Carr Chatty Man on 4OD and felt slightly bad for Jedward, They were belittled and shouted at throughout the entire show by 2 Other Guests, Ruth Jones and David Walliams, which led to one of the twins pouring a tub of hair gel over Jones' head.
Not condoning the action but read on, i would have done the same maybe.

It seems i'm not the only one who thought so and a quick Google Search reveals loads of pages about the incident including reports from people that were present at the filming, Jedward fans and non-fans alike, Saying that Jones and Walliams were much ruder than shown in the edited show, even going as far as making incest jokes about the twins.

I'm no super fan, i find them entertaining at least and any chat show that will have them on should know they are hyper little sh!ts and batten down the hatches or ask them to keep the air kicks to a minimum.

Anyone, i rambled a bit, anyone else think the boys or younger people get bullied on TV? Especially by older guests and presenters.
(That plank Brendan O'Connor springs to mind when writing this too)

im invisible

Alan carr, that was your first mistake

Radharc na Sleibhte

Not a fan either but have noticed this.

Its ok because theyre hyper irish a-holes.
I hate anyone belittling anyone like that tbh.

Blikes

im invisible wrote: »

Alan carr, that was your first mistake

When it's 5am and there aren't anymore episodes of the good stuff to watch, desperation takes over. you'd think the desire to sleep would but no :P

amacachi

They wouldn't have a "career" otherwise.

merlie

Just watched the show, wouldn't you think that the guests would already know what Jedward were like before all this mayhem happened?! It did seem that they were a target from the minute of their funny entrance of falling down the stairs! I am not a fan but I do like their whacky sense of humour, niceness, and general well meaning.

I thought that the two guests did go ott with what they said. It didn't seem right that they had to sit away from the other guests when Steps came on, it just didn't seem right.

Tipsy McSwagger

What a load of crap. They weren't bullied they were acting their usual idiotic selves and got the mick taken from them. They admitted it was a terrible thing pouring a full tub of hair gel on to Ruth Jones head and embarrassing the hell out of her. They got treated a lot worse on 8 out of 10 cats and I turned it off because it wasn't funny and slightly uncomfortable.

Kiera

Same thing happened to them on 8 out of 10 cats about a week ago. The other panelists just ripped into them. At one stage i thought the lads were gonna start crying with the amount of abuse they got from the comedians.

Toto Wolfcastle

I got the impression that David Walliams didn't like them taking the attention away from him. On every show he's been on this Christmas he has come across as an attention seeking idiot.

sillo

Bullying is not OK but I personally find it hard to sympathise in this particular case. These are two guys who put on a hyperactive, ultra-annoying personality for attention and money. That's going to rub some people up the wrong way. Besides, sounds like they got their revenge in the end, and everyone knows revenge is a happy ending.

Kiera

sillo wrote: »

Bullying is not OK but I personally find it hard to sympathise in this particular case. These are two guys who put on a hyperactive, ultra-annoying personality for attention and money. That's going to rub some people up the wrong way. Besides, sounds like they got their revenge in the end, and everyone knows revenge is a happy ending.

They shouldnt be asked on these kinds of shows. They are only invited on so others can take the piss out of them. I mean, they dont have an album or tour coming up so what's the point in having them on these shows only to rip them apart.

sillo

Kiera wrote: »

They shouldnt be asked on these kinds of shows. They are only invited on so others can take the piss out of them. I mean, they dont have an album or tour coming up so what's the point in having them on these shows only to rip them apart.

I hear what you're saying but to me it sounds more like they shouldn't be agreeing to go on these shows. They have an agent, and nobody is forcing them to go anywhere.

It's a good point though - some environments are going to be naturally hostile to the likes of Jedward - I doubt they were surprised by the treatment they got; perhaps it speaks to their perseverence and strength of character. I mean, I hate Jedward, but that clip of them performing when the guy breaks his leg, is clearly in agony, but continues to sing? fair play.

EDIT: Here's the video - break is at 2:05

pixelburp

Didn't see the episode in question but quite frankly they (and by extension, Jedward's agents / PR team) have no comeback here; Jedward's entire career exists because they courted & promoted themselves / their act as the loveable-idiot-Irish routine. They remained on X-Factor because of they got the 'freak' vote.

Their fame is entirely based off this perceived hyperactivity & innocence: one can't suddenly call shenanigans when other celebrities fail to hide their dislike, nor can one pick & choose what kind of feedback you get from your act. Ask any stand-up comedian and they'll tell you that you take the good audiences with the bad & simply get on with things.

Truthfully if I found myself sharing a chat-show sofa with those two hyperactive puppies, I'd be slow to hide my distaste too.

Let them make their careers in children's TV if they wish & good luck to them, but I wish the grown adults inside & outside the media would stop charging to their defence everytime the rest of us tire of their antics. Hating Jedward doesn't make you a monster with a fun allergy, some of us just don't enjoy celebrating a pair of talentless man-children. That doesn't turn us into ogres for doing so.

Pretty Polly

Jedward were on 8 out of 10 cats a few months back and it was the same kind of thing. Jimmy Carr made a joke about John and Edward sleeping with each other and the two boys actually looked hurt by it. Some of those people just take it too far.

Blikes

What a load of crap. They weren't bullied they were acting their usual idiotic selves and got the mick taken from them. They admitted it was a terrible thing pouring a full tub of hair gel on to Ruth Jones head and embarrassing the hell out of her. They got treated a lot worse on 8 out of 10 cats and I turned it off because it wasn't funny and slightly uncomfortable.

Apparently they were bullied by both guests, People at the recording have said alot of the really bad stuff that was said to the boys was too bad for tv such as the incest comments.

The Gel was embarrassing but i felt more sorry for the lads sitting there being talked about, no to and made to feel stupid and embarrassed. I probably would have dumped the gel on her too.

Apologies were given and the lads did look sorry and quite shocked at their actions, not excusing it, just trying to put myself in that situation and see what i would do.

Jedward were on 8 out of 10 cats a few months back and it was the same kind of thing. Jimmy Carr made a joke about John and Edward sleeping with each other and the two boys actually looked hurt by it. Some of those people just take it too far.

I didn't see it but i'll have a look around, i heard the guy from the inbetweeners was on it and being just plain rude, not joking but rude.
Him being a former teacher, you'd think he had experience with bullying and the effects it can have on people. He's a tool anyway!

Galwayguy35

Bobblehead Panda wrote: »

I got the impression that David Walliams didn't like them taking the attention away from him. On every show he's been on this Christmas he has come across as an attention seeking idiot.

And Jedward arent attention seeking idiots?

Blikes

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

And Jedward arent attention seeking idiots?

I think it's all an act, Sure they are hyper and super annoying when they get going but there are times when they'll say something or act a certain way that gives it all away, they're a hell of alot smarter than people give them credit for i bet!

amacachi

Blikes wrote: »

they're a hell of alot smarter than people give them credit for i bet!

I'm going to differ with you on that.


Anyway they bring this crap on themselves, talking about how they need to share a bedroom, can't spend a night away from each other, share a phone etc. If they are smarter than they let on and are actually hurt by that crap then there's a simple way for them to stop it, apparently they've enough money to keep them forever anyway.

Blikes

amacachi wrote: »

I'm going to differ with you on that.


Anyway they bring this crap on themselves, talking about how they need to share a bedroom, can't spend a night away from each other, share a phone etc. If they are smarter than they let on and are actually hurt by that crap then there's a simple way for them to stop it, apparently they've enough money to keep them forever anyway.

It's a valid point and the fact they are still doing these shows and acting the way they do is down more to their manager louis walsh more than anything else i'd say.
They should just tell him and these shows no.

amacachi

Blikes wrote: »

It's a valid point and the fact they are still doing these shows and acting the way they do is down more to their manager louis walsh more than anything else i'd say.
They should just tell him and these shows no.

This is it, if they are smart and are annoyed they'd remove themselves from the situation. I'm guessing at least one of those parameters is incorrect. :pac:

Technocentral

Those idiots should stick to childrens tv shows and it wouldn't happen, if you are an irritating twat you are going to get the piss taken out of you on adult comedy shows to be fair.

Galwayguy35

Blikes wrote: »

I think it's all an act, Sure they are hyper and super annoying when they get going but there are times when they'll say something or act a certain way that gives it all away, they're a hell of alot smarter than people give them credit for i bet!

They may well be a lot smarter than they let on but as another poster said, if they put information out there about sleeping together in the one bed etc then they will get ribbed over it. They need to man up a bit, arent they adults after all.

Minstrel27

If they don't do these shows then they have no career. They promoted themselves like this so it's no surprise that people rip them apart.

Dman001

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

And Jedward arent attention seeking idiots?

Walliams is like 40, had his time in the limelight and is now reduced to chat shows like Alan Carr or 8 out of Ten Cats. He's in no position to rip the p*ss out of anyone, never mind being plain rude!

Tipsy McSwagger

Dman001 wrote: »

Walliams is like 40, had his time in the limelight and is now reduced to chat shows like Alan Carr or 8 out of Ten Cats. He's in no position to rip the p*ss out of anyone, never mind being plain rude!

Both those shows have good guests, especially Chatty Man. David Walliams is still a big celeb in the UK and has been raising lots of money for charity lately with his swimming.

pixelburp

They can't have it both ways; if Jedward want to do Children's TV then they should have the nous to stay in that timeslot and not appear on TV shows with an obvious mean-streak such as Jimmy / Alan Carr's vehicles. And calling the comedians rude is like when the Late-Late demographic called Tommy Tiernan blasphemous; that's the whole point of their act.

If indeed Louis Walsh is arranging these media appearances, then this simply proves that those in charge of the Jedward act know them to be a freakshow routine, and happily peddle their ... 'simplicity' as an easy target.

Sir Oxman

They were on Vincent Browne's ill-fated late night chat yoke for the exact same reason - to be laughed at and mocked.
It's a management decision obviously.

Wudyaquit

Dman001 wrote: »

Walliams is like 40, had his time in the limelight and is now reduced to chat shows like Alan Carr or 8 out of Ten Cats. He's in no position to rip the p*ss out of anyone, never mind being plain rude!

Walliams was a nasty pr1ck even when little britain was at it's peak.
He's to resort to bullying because he's simply not funny and the public has gotten slightly bored of hearing the same crap gay references and flirting with the other men on whatever B listed show he happens to be on. He's been rude and horrible on every show I've ever seen him and can't understand who it is that wants to see him.

Badgermonkey

The Jeds are professional buffoons.

Walliams is creepy, camp and disagreeable.

Sounds as though things went much as could be expected.

fryup

pixelburp wrote: »

They can't have it both ways; if Jedward want to do Children's TV then they should have the nous to stay in that timeslot and not appear on TV shows with an obvious mean-streak such as Jimmy / Alan Carr's vehicles. And calling the comedians rude is like when the Late-Late demographic called Tommy Tiernan blasphemous; that's the whole point of their act.

If indeed Louis Walsh is arranging these media appearances, then this simply proves that those in charge of the Jedward act know them to be a freakshow routine, and happily peddle their ... 'simplicity' as an easy target.

spot on, they are totally out of they're depth in these shows..and just cannon fodder for bullies

they should stick to Blue Peter and the like, going on a show with razor sharp professional comedians is asking for grief imo...not that i condone it but its obvious whats going to happen and they're management should know better:cool:

Caraville

In fairness, there's a difference between slagging and bullying. All comedians take the piss out of people, and in fairness, you don't go on a show with comedians and not be expected to be made fun of even a little bit. I see it as part of their job, and some people might disagree with that as they would say you shouldn't belittle people to get a laugh. I agree with that to a point, but a little harmless slagging should be ok.

I saw both Alan Carr's show and 8 out of 10 Cats, and there were times when I felt sorry for them. Ok they are annoying, but they are not hurtful and certainly would never say the things to people that are said to them. Some might argue that they wouldn't be quick enough to think of these things, but I just think in general they are nice young lads who, despite being irritating, are fairly harmless. They certainly didn't deserve the treatment they got on either show, and I would agree that it was closer to bullying than mere slagging.

fryup

they're being refered to as jed'wood on uk TV at the moment:cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pihk0mtIVbY

dnme

I often wonder when it comes to John and Edward Grimes, are there mild mental health issues with the two? If it's an act, its awful and well why?

They come across as having the mental age of 5-6 year olds, they have no attention span, no personalities, no intellect, no sexuality, no language skills, no emmotional intelligence, no aparent basic intelligence etc etc.

I find them troubling to watch, a bit like when Shane McGowan gets wheeled out for chat shows, a freak show, a side show. It's not funny at all, its quite disturbing imo.

Plautus

I think you're onto something there dnme. The two lads have never seemed quite right to me. I'd hazard at something on the autism spectrum, but you can't know.

Initially, I would have been in the camp that said that they should be mocked for being so vacuous as it's pretty much their claim to fame (and they make money for it) - but their behaviour seems too consistent over such a long time to be a constant 'act'. The mask would surely have slipped or they would have tried to show a more articulate side after a while.

Their parents and their managers might want to question if this is all getting a tad exploitative.

philstar

of course they are being exploited by they're guardians both mangement & (i persume) parents..but at the end of the day they're the ones laughing all the way to the bank, its really a case of making hay while the sun shine..in a years time the jedward craze will be over (i hope)

Nolanger

dnme wrote: »

I often wonder when it comes to John and Edward Grimes, are there mild mental health issues with the two? If it's an act, its awful and well why?

Probably serious bullying at school so they've created their own little world.

Caraville

dnme wrote: »

I often wonder when it comes to John and Edward Grimes, are there mild mental health issues with the two? If it's an act, its awful and well why?

They come across as having the mental age of 5-6 year olds, they have no attention span, no personalities, no intellect, no sexuality, no language skills, no emmotional intelligence, no aparent basic intelligence etc etc.

I find them troubling to watch, a bit like when Shane McGowan gets wheeled out for chat shows, a freak show, a side show. It's not funny at all, its quite disturbing imo.

When they were first on X-factor, I wasn't as bothered by it, they were only 17 and although more innocent than most teenage boys, I kind of thought "ah sure, let them at it, they're young".

But now they're 20! It just seems all a bit odd. If they were presenting children's tv and just acting like that when on screen for children then fair enough. But it seems they're like that all the time... I often wonder what is it like in their house at home with their parents, surely they're not like that when there's no camera around?!

I actually do genuinely think they are two nice young lads who don't wish harm on anyone- and if I had young children I'd prefer them to be into them than watching the likes of Rihanna writhing around the stage. But if they were my sons, I don't think I'd be comfortable with the 2 of them and how they are behaving at 20 years of age.

Galwayguy35

Jedward were on last night planning someones wedding. I wasn't too sure before watching the programme but i think they really are that stupid, i don't think its an act. And who did they call for advice on the Brides dress, Uncle Louis of course. Didn't think he would know too much about a wedding dress though:D

fryup

There is a culture of bullying/meanness that has crept into TV over the past 20 yrs or so esp on those panel shows, the buzzcocks in particular.

remember this....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EYIiQihXEM

dnme

fryup wrote: »

There is a culture of bullying/meanness that has crept into TV over the past 20 yrs or so esp on those panel shows, the buzzcocks in particular.

remember this....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EYIiQihXEM

That wasn't bullying, that was funny! Jedward are different in that they are not psychologically developed properly....at all, and when they are wheeled out on TV, its a side show, a freak show. Very disturbing.

But Preston??? poor little precious Preston and his moody music??? probably studied Philosophy at college and tried to be another Lloyd Cole. Fcuk Off!

and Chantelle??? poor little Chantelle, junk culture junkie, chic lit at it's worst, sell her soul for a tabloid spread and probably wouldn't even get the fact that she was selling her soul. Fcuk Off!!

guitarzero

How divorced form reality do Jedward have to be to think they can go around jumping up and down, singing god awful music, display themselves as two talentless, homoerotic, incestual girly girls? The taking the piss is almost like a quick, efficient reality check for these lads. Something needs to keep them grounded and sadly for them they are thrown to the lions.

I think in the UK and Ireland there's always been a jag in the jokes, its called taking the piss and nearly everyone here does it. Others would see it as insulting depending on how seriously they take themselves, how heavy the remark is and on how well its delivered. The only remedy is to give as good as you get or not leave the house.

Blikes

guitarzero wrote: »

How divorced form reality do Jedward have to be to think they can go around jumping up and down, singing god awful music, display themselves as two talentless, homoerotic, incestual girly girls?

Yes because people who jump and sing are divorced from reality!

guitarzero

Blikes wrote: »

Yes because people who jump and sing are divorced from reality!

Seriously?

Technocentral

Blikes wrote: »

Yes because people who jump and sing are divorced from reality!

You deliberately misquoted guitarzero, I know exactly what he means.

fryup

dnme wrote: »

That wasn't bullying, that was funny! Jedward are different in that they are not psychologically developed properly....at all, and when they are wheeled out on TV, its a side show, a freak show. Very disturbing.

But Preston??? poor little precious Preston and his moody music??? probably studied Philosophy at college and tried to be another Lloyd Cole. Fcuk Off!

and Chantelle??? poor little Chantelle, junk culture junkie, chic lit at it's worst, sell her soul for a tabloid spread and probably wouldn't even get the fact that she was selling her soul. Fcuk Off!!

i don't care too much for the likes of Preston either, but there's slagging and then there's bullying and in that edition of buzzcocks he was relentlessly targeted no let up....call me an old fuddy duddy but young people watching this sort of thing will think its cool to do and replicate it in the classroom against others and we all know how cruel kids can be

In relation to Buzzcocks - it's been that way since the very beginning, first with Mark Lamarr, who had a very barbed wit, Simon Amstel and now with the frequent guest hosts, especially Jack Dee.

However, the thing with Jedward is that they are essentially put on those panel shows with the intention of being made fun of, for nothing more than comedic value. Yes, sometimes the comments that are made against them do go too far, but you have to look at the people who keep insisting that they go on these shows.