Brendan O’Carroll’s ‘racist’ joke at US actor resurfaces amid race row
Mrs Brown’s Boys star Brendan O’Carroll is being drawn into a growing race row after details emerged of how he ‘implied’ the N-word during rehearsals.
The show has become embroiled in a racism row after the Irish comedian, who plays the title character in the BBC comedy, alluded to the highly offensive slur in front of shocked co-stars and production staff.
Today, viewers of the show accused him of another racist incident when video emerged of O’Carroll making a alleged racist joke towards US actor Tyler Perry.
O’Carroll appeared on The One Show in 2022 alongside Perry to promote their new Netflix movie A Madea Homecoming, which is a crossover film of Mrs Brown’s Boys and Perry’s comedy series Madea.
When O’Carroll was asked if he thought his fellow guest could feature in the BBC show, the 69-year-old pointed to his face and said: ‘So far we haven’t had anyone of his colour in there so I don’t know if we could have him in.’
Perry awkwardly laughs off the remark before staring at his co-star – seemingly in disbelief – and repeating it back to him: ‘Nobody my colour.’
Shortly after the interview aired, social media users accused O’Carroll of making a ‘racist remark’, while others blasted him for his ‘ignorance’ and ‘blatant racism’.
This clip showing Mrs Brown’s Boys star Brendan O’Carroll (right) allegedly making a racist joke towards US actor Tyler Perry (left) has resurfaced amid the new race row
The 69-year-old was appearing on The One Show in 2022, alongside Perry when he made a joke about his ‘colour’. Perry can be seen her awkwardly laughing off the joke
In a clip from the Netflix movie A Madea Homecoming, Mrs Brown greets Madea by crossing her arms and saying ‘Wakanda forever’, in reference to the Black Panther symbol
The film A Madea Homecoming, which is directed by Perry, itself features a number of jokes poking fun at characters’ difference in race.
In one scene, Mrs Brown greets Madea by crossing her arms and saying ‘Wakanda forever’, in reference to the Black Panther symbol.
Another clip shows the actor at dinner with Perry’s character, where she says ‘I’m Mrs Brown’, with one of the costars replying: ‘I’m a brown too.’
Mrs Brown starts to reply ‘you’re more bla…’ but is cut off by her on-screen daughter slapping her.
The Medea series sees Perry dressing up as a woman, similarly to O’Carroll when he performs as Agnes Brown, to play family matriarch Mabel ‘Madea’ Simmons in a series of films.
Social media users at the time blasted O’Carroll for the dig at Perry, saying: ‘O’Carroll’s attempt at being funny towards @tylerperry on BBC One Show tonight was quite embarrassing.’
He added: ‘I’m sure no malice was meant but that comment was wrong on so many levels.’
Another wrote on Twitter: ‘Brendan Carol just made a racist remark on the one show and not one person called him out. Shame on you BBC #TheOneShow.’
One person put: ‘Did Brendan O’Carroll just say Tyler a Perry couldn’t be in Mrs Brown’s Boys because he’s black on The One Show!?’
Social media users at the time blasted O’Carroll for the dig at Perry
O-Carroll pictured on ITV’s This Morning in 2022, the same year he was accused of making the ‘racist’ remark towards Perry
Two years on from the incident O’Carroll (pictured as the character of Agnes Brown), has again sparked outrage after alluding to a highly offensive slur during rehearsals for the show
While Perry is most well known for directing and appearing in multiple hit comedy series, he has also been involved in several US thrillers, including Gone Girl.
However his recent Amazon Prime film Divorce In The Black, which came out earlier this year, was slated as his ‘worst movie yet’.
The thriller, released on the streaming platform in July, opens with a chaotic scene in which a family argument at a funeral results in a body being removed from a coffin and moved to a different location.
But whilst the shocking opening won over some viewers, others were left unimpressed by the production, with one person writing on X: ‘Not even worth watching… very predictable.’
Off screen, Perry is a good friend of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and is the godfather to their daughter, Princess Lilibet. Perry also famously let the Duke and Duchess stay in his $18m (£14.6m) LA mansion when they arrived in the US after Megxit.
Then in March 2023, Perry was spotted paying a visit to Harry and Meghan Markle’s $14.7 million Montecito home. He was spotted hopping out of his $200,000 Lamborghini Urus and into his $125million private jet in Los Angeles.
Last month, Harry and Meghan were spotted leaving a mansion where they celebrated the filmmaker’s 55th birthday alongside a slew of other famous faces including acclaimed talk show hosts Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King, singer Alicia Keys, and actor Aaron O’Connell.
Also at the party was Paramount CEO Brian Robbins and his wife, Tracy, who are close friends and neighbors of Meghan and Harry’s, and French actor Vincent Cassel’s spouse Tina Kunakey.
Tyler Perry pictured with Meghan and Harry in a scene from their Netflix documentary, which aired in December 2022
The One Show clip has resurfaced amid an ongoing race row involving O’Carroll, in which he ‘implied’ the N-word during rehearsals for the show’s Christmas special,
During a reading of the script while in character as Agnes Brown, O’Carroll is said to have said ‘I don’t call a spade a spade, I call a spade a…’
He then started to utter the N-word before he was stopped by a co-star, whose intervention was allegedly delivered while in character as Agnes’ daughter.
O’Carroll’s representative told the Mail: ‘We would also like to clarify that the ‘n’ word was absolutely not spoken, it was implied.
‘Agnes (Mrs Brown) began the word but was stopped from finishing it by her daughter Cathy, as she knew she would be.’
Reports that O’Carroll made a ‘racial joke’ first surfaced in the Daily Mirror.
The new revelation raises questions about the BBC’s initial handling of the incident.
In initial statements about the incident, neither the BBC nor O’Carroll acknowledged the severity of the offensive slur.
Cast and crew were reportedly stood down while the corporation ‘tried to get to the bottom’ of what happened.
The rehearsals then resumed in Glasgow at the broadcaster’s Pacific Quay studios in Scotland and shows will go ahead as planned.
O’Carroll famously employs his family to appear alongside him, with his wife Jennifer Gibney starring as his on-screen daughter Cathy (left, alongside Rory Cowan and Pat Shields)
Mrs Brown’s Boys won a National Television Award for Best Comedy last month. Brendan O’Carroll is pictured holding the award with his wife and co-star Jennifer Gibney
The BBC said: ‘Whilst we don’t comment on individuals, the BBC is against all forms of racism, and we have robust processes in place should issues ever arise.’
O’Carroll, 69, apologised for making a ‘clumsy attempt at a joke’ in character as Mrs Brown where a ‘racial term was implied’.
His full statement said: ‘At a read-through of the Mrs. Brown’s Boys Christmas specials, there was a clumsy attempt at a joke, in the character of Agnes, where a racial term was implied. It backfired and caused offence which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.’
Those who witnessed the remark were reportedly left ‘shocked’ by the slur which was ‘flagged with the BBC afterwards’.
Mrs Brown’s Boys has been a regular feature on the BBC’s Christmas schedules for more than a decade.
The show has also had several mini-series runs, including a four-part series last year, which was the first since 2013.
In the programme O’Carroll’s character, who is known affectionately as ‘mammy’ in the series, is a foul-mouthed Irish mother.
