BELFAST COMIC VITTORIO Angelone has apologised for a joke he made about a named woman being the victim of rape and incest.
Rebecca Goodwin, a British influencer and OnlyFans creator mentioned in the joke, took to social media earlier this week to express her disappointment, sparking backlash towards Angelone.
He made the joke on the Have A Word podcast.
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During the “roast” of fellow comedian Freddie Quinne, Angelone said: “Freddy, if you’re here, who’s raping Rebecca Goodwin. That’s a joke. Of course it’s her dad.”
Angelone promoted the joke on his social media, before deleting the post following backlash.
Goodwin said it was particularly difficult to hear as she has been a victim of rape, and a trial for her case is ongoing.
Furthermore, she said Angelone had not asked her permission to make the joke.
The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) hit out at Angelone’s words, saying such jokes hurt victims and reinforce attitudes that stop them coming forward.
In a statement posted to Instagram today, Angelone said his “need for validation” came before his “standards and morals”, and that he was sorry.
“At the very least I should’ve run the joke past the person mentioned and then still not told it because it isn’t funny,” he said.
“I pride myself on being able to talk about difficult topics and make them funny. I stand behind plenty of jokes that people have criticised. This is not one of those jokes.”
He went on to say that he wasn’t apologising “in hopes that this all blows over”.
“Sometimes you need a lot of people telling you that you’ve fucked up to realise you’ve fucked up.
“I will do better in future,” the statement concludes.
He also said he has now apologised directly to Goodwin.
DRCC chief executive Rachel Morrogh, said anyone with a public platform “has a responsibility to consider who is listening and the harm this kind of material can do”.
“For survivors, hearing rape treated as a punchline can be deeply hurtful, and it reinforces the attitudes that discourage people from coming forward,” she said.
“Reporting sexual violence and going through the courts takes enormous courage, and survivors deserve to know that the process will be treated with seriousness and respect.
Morrogh added that treating sexual violence as a joke shows a lack of understanding for “what survivors have lived through”.
Free and confidential support for anyone affected by sexual violence is available on the 24-hour National Rape Crisis Helpline 1800 77 8888.
'It isn't funny': Comedian Vittorio Angelone apologises for joking about woman being raped
BELFAST COMIC VITTORIO Angelone has apologised for a joke he made about a named woman being the victim of rape and incest.
Rebecca Goodwin, a British influencer and OnlyFans creator mentioned in the joke, took to social media earlier this week to express her disappointment, sparking backlash towards Angelone.
He made the joke on the Have A Word podcast.
During the “roast” of fellow comedian Freddie Quinne, Angelone said: “Freddy, if you’re here, who’s raping Rebecca Goodwin. That’s a joke. Of course it’s her dad.”
Angelone promoted the joke on his social media, before deleting the post following backlash.
Goodwin said it was particularly difficult to hear as she has been a victim of rape, and a trial for her case is ongoing.
Furthermore, she said Angelone had not asked her permission to make the joke.
The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) hit out at Angelone’s words, saying such jokes hurt victims and reinforce attitudes that stop them coming forward.
In a statement posted to Instagram today, Angelone said his “need for validation” came before his “standards and morals”, and that he was sorry.
“At the very least I should’ve run the joke past the person mentioned and then still not told it because it isn’t funny,” he said.
“I pride myself on being able to talk about difficult topics and make them funny. I stand behind plenty of jokes that people have criticised. This is not one of those jokes.”
He went on to say that he wasn’t apologising “in hopes that this all blows over”.
“Sometimes you need a lot of people telling you that you’ve fucked up to realise you’ve fucked up.
“I will do better in future,” the statement concludes.
He also said he has now apologised directly to Goodwin.
DRCC chief executive Rachel Morrogh, said anyone with a public platform “has a responsibility to consider who is listening and the harm this kind of material can do”.
“For survivors, hearing rape treated as a punchline can be deeply hurtful, and it reinforces the attitudes that discourage people from coming forward,” she said.
“Reporting sexual violence and going through the courts takes enormous courage, and survivors deserve to know that the process will be treated with seriousness and respect.
Morrogh added that treating sexual violence as a joke shows a lack of understanding for “what survivors have lived through”.
Free and confidential support for anyone affected by sexual violence is available on the 24-hour National Rape Crisis Helpline 1800 77 8888.
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