Graham Norton deletes Twitter account after cancel culture comments

Graham Norton has deleted his Twitter account after he made a series of comments about cancel culture which attracted a backlash.

Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Norton was discussing his views on cancel culture with Mariella Frostrup when he said people had 'free speech but not consequence free'.

The TV host also said he thought 'cancel culture' was the wrong phrase to be using and lamented the number of people proclaiming they'd been cancelled from their high profile platforms.

He said: "You read a lot of articles in papers by people complaining about cancel culture and you think, 'In what world are you cancelled?'

"I'm reading your article in a newspaper, or you're doing interviews about how terrible it is to be cancelled? I think the word is the wrong word. I think the word should be 'accountability'."

What really attracted the ire of some was when the presenter was asked about JK Rowling, with Norton saying the conversation about trans people would be better if it was less driven by, as he described himself, 'some bloke off the telly'.

Twitter

He said: "What I feel weird about this is when I’m asked about it, then I become part of this discussion.

"All I'm painfully aware of is that my voice adds nothing to that discussion. I'm sort of embarrassed that I'm somehow drawn into it.

"If people want to shine a light on those issues, and I hope people do, then talk to trans people, talk to the parents of trans kids, talk to doctors, talk to psychiatrists, talk to someone who can illuminate this in some way."

His comments went viral and attracted a lot of praise, with Norton's comments being commended as 'really good' by musician Billy Bragg.

But some were less happy with what he said.

Rowling herself hit out at the 'recent spate of bearded men' who she claimed were trying to 'define what a woman is'.

And now, many Twitter users have noticed that in the aftermath of the social media turmoil, Norton appears to have deleted his personal account.

Twitter

This prompted an outpouring of support for the presenter, with people saying he was 'so thoughtful' in his comments and noting that he took 'great care not to attack' anyone personally with his words.

People started tweeting their support for the presenter, adding the hashtag #IStandWithGrahamNorton to their posts as they praised him for his comments.