Joe Lycett has posted a heartbreaking statement on his social media after ‘catfishing the entire government’. You can read it below:
He claims he catfished the government after 'leaking' a parody Sue Gray report and says that members of the parliament allegedly took it seriously.
As the nation awaits Sue Gray's findings about the Downing Street lockdown parties, Lycett opted to make up a fake report, and it went completely viral.
However, the comedian has now issued a heartbreaking statement, explaining that while the government was reportedly hosting multiple parties, he was unable to be with his best friend when he died.
He wrote: "I write comedy sometimes as a way of using anger. I write a daft letter about a parking fine or change my name to Hugo Boss or fake a Sue Gray report, all essentially because I'm angry.
"I'm angry right now probably for the same reason many other people are angry.
"In the early stages of lockdown in 2020 my best friend died from cancer.
"He was the person who had been with me through my journey in comedy the most closely; he had been to the smallest pub gigs all the way up to the Apollo and when I was first on Graham Norton.
"He had been ill for a number of years and towards the end I had helped as a part time carer.
"I watched him slip away, gradually, over months, and all that comes with it. It's a long story for another time.
"But he died, at the start of lockdown, and I wasn't there because I was following the rules, and we had a tiny insufficient funeral, because we were following the rules, and I drove his kids away from that funeral back to Birmingham without any sort of wake, because we were following the rules, and it felt unnatural and cruel and almost silly, but we did it because we followed the rules.
"So I suppose like thousands of others with their own stories, I'm angry about that."
Lycett's stunt appeared to be more convincing than you'd expect after he reportedly received a message from someone who works in parliament saying various government staff fell for it.
The message read: "I work in Parliament for the conservatives and I think u need to kno(w).
"Your tweet this morning was read as an actual serious leak from Sue Gray's report.
"U had MP staff literally running around panicking from what it said.
"Panic dialling MPs like we need to discuss this right now."
The source then added: "Absolutely legendary work well done."
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: UK News
Anish Vij