Some I’m A Celebrity viewers are NOT happy about Nigel Farage being on the show this year.
The former politician and current GB News host has long been a polarising figure. And, many fans of the show have threatened to boycott this year.
But some viewers have turned their ire to long-standing hosts Ant and Dec. They acknowledged that while they aren’t in charge of casting, they may have some degree of influence.
Social media criticism
One viewer said: “You pair don’t get a pass on this either Ant and Dec. You have voices. You have power. Shame on you both for not fighting this.”
Another opined: “If they stood down what would ITV do? They won’t of course, they get paid too much to let conscience rear its head.”
One more viewer joked: “Not even the thought of Nigel Farage eating kangaroo [bleep] the whole show would make me watch. Ant & Dec have never sunk lower.”
Some fans accused the iconic presenting duo of hypocrisy, after they mocked Boris Johnson during the pandemic, while others have said they won’t be watching I’m A Celebrity, or even ITV as a whole again.
Of course, former UKIP leader Nigel isn’t the first politician to enter the jungle. Conservative MP Matt Hancock took part last year and had the whip suspended as a result, while the 2017 series saw former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale and Stanley Johnson, father of Boris, take part.
The likes of former Tory MPs Edwina Currie and Nadine Dorries, former Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Öpik, London mayoral candidate Brian Paddick, and 2005 winner Carol Thatcher – daughter of former Prime Minister Margaret – have also entered the jungle in the past.
Will Nigel clash with campmates?
Meanwhile, there could already be an I’m A Celebrity… feud on the horizon for Nigel. TV personality Fred Sirieix, also appearing on the show this year, called him a “coward” on social media in 2017.
He said: “Farage is a coward who likes money, attention & the sound of his own voice far too much. Definitely not a selfless idealistic revolutionary.”
And the following year, he tweeted that he told a taxi driver to turn off the radio after hearing his voice.
Will they bury the hatchet on TV, or will we be able to expect fireworks?
Read more: Nigel Farage arrives in Australia for I’m A Celebrity amid ‘row over smoking with show bosses’
