Rylan Clark has shared some examples of vile homophobic abuse that he has received ahead of his documentary about football being released this week.
The presenter, 35, fronts Rylan: Homophobia, Football and Me, which was released through TNT Sports and discovery+ on Tuesday. It examines homophobia in football, featuring various people who have been involved in the sport. The newly-released project also looks into Rylan's "own personal experiences" growing up as a football fan and member of the LGBTQ+ community. The Celebrity Big Brother winner is a known supporter of West Ham United.
Following the documentary's debut, Rylan took to social media this afternoon to thank those who had watched it. He also shared examples of the abuse that he has received over it, suggesting that such highlights why he fronted it. He wrote on platforms like Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier: "Thanks to everyone who watched last night."
Rylan continued by telling his followers: "Here's a few comments from the promo vids that have been released from my documentary about homophobia in football. Just thought I'd highlight the reason why I was asked to front this show. Case closed. I've blurred the usernames as to not encourage the same behaviour towards them. Thanks for all your great comments, and thanks to everyone involved in making the show."
The posts included screenshots of various comments that had been left on promotional videos that were shared on the platforms earlier this month. Alongside laughing emojis, one read: "Can straight men have nothing to themselves." Another person reacted to one of the clips with the homophobic slur: "F*****." It's understood that the same person responded in another comment: "Rainbow qu**rs." Whilst someone else said in their own comment: "We want football not propaganda." Whilst one person reacted: "People should take the p*** out of you. You look ridiculous and have an affected lisp."#
Katie Price shows off results of 'painful' breast op as she unbandages boobsAddressing a clip in which Rylan recalled being "kicked in the head" when he was younger and later being told that his skull had been fractured, someone wrote: "And that's what turned him gay. So this means people, please don't kick young boys in their head, if [you] do they turn out to be gay."
And although Rylan has faced abuse over the documentary, he has also been praised and supported by many fans. One person wrote recently: "So much love for you and so much respect for this project." Someone said: "Was an amazing program. Proud of you." A third said: "You're a legend."
Others replied to Rylan's tweet to support him amid the vile abuse, with one Twitter user telling the former X Factor star: "Your dedication to shedding light on important issues like this is truly commendable. Keep up the fantastic work, and a big shoutout to everyone who contributed to making the show possible. Looking forward to seeing more impactful content from you in the future!"
"Jesus that’s so rancid. Good on you Rylan for making this documentary. I love that they will never see the irony in their comments, they demonstrate perfectly why this conversation needs to be had," another told Rylan online, with a third adding: "So sorry that this sh**e has happened, even more sorry that it felt so inevitable thanks to our messed up society. Thank you for being you & being so wonderful. So many of us love & thank you for it!"
Rylan: Homophobia, Football and Me is available through TNT and discovery+.