Comedian Kate Smurthwaite has shared a series of WhatsApp messages in which fellow female comics warn each other about “creepy” men in the industry.
The 50-year-old appeared on Newsnight on Wednesday evening to discuss the conviction of Russell Brand for rape and sexual assault and the grooming allegations against David Walliams, which he denies.
The comedian and activist previously said she is in five or six WhatsApp groups - the so-called “whisper network” - in which women warn each other about problematic male comics.
Messages shared on Newsnight
Speaking with Victoria Derbyshire in the BBC studio, she shared a selection of those texts between her and other female comedians, with the names of the men being discussed blurred out.
During one exchange, a comic asked, “Has anyone gigged for — or with any bad experiences?” to which another member of the group replied: “Beyond rude shambolic and mainly audience-free.”
Another member of the group replied, “He’s creepy as f***,” which received two thumbs-up reactions on WhatsApp, while a second user agreed, adding: “Sooooo creepy, avoid him if you can!!”
Warnings about ‘awful’ male comic
In a separate exchange, a comedian said a male comic had “started booking gigs under another name”.
One woman replied: “Shared a car with him a couple months ago. Awful. Have warned promoters about him since but I have seen he still gets booked.”
Smurthwaite stressed that she does not think the troubling working environment is unique to the comedy industry.
“I think that there are women in similar groups in banks, women in similar groups in call centres. I don’t think there’s a magic place where this doesn’t happen,” she said.
“I do think comedy has its unique risks. It’s a freelance-heavy industry, so when work is offered to you it’s very hard to say no and there’s no easy place to ascertain who you’re going to be working with.”
Industry risks and Brand conviction
She went on: “It happens late at night and people are often drunk, so there’s those risk factors. It’s also an industry where I go on stage and people whoop and they cheer and they scream and they laugh and there’s no denying that this is the kind of industry that would attract a narcissist.
“If that’s what you want, don’t become a hedge-trimmer, get into comedy. There are definite, particular risks, but other industries would have their own risks.”
Smurthwaite told The i Paper last week: “Every woman in comedy knew about Brand’s reputation.
“I can’t put a finger on the first time I heard stories, because there are so many people I have been warned about or heard negative stories about over the years.”
Smurthwaite claimed comedy bookers and TV commissioners worked with him “despite known concerns”.
“I’m still in five or six WhatsApp groups where women warn each other about men in the industry,” she added. “I think that will persist, but I don’t think it’s really a solution. The whole culture needs to change.
“Ultimately, Russell Brand is the tip of a very large iceberg that runs through not just entertainment but the whole of our culture.”
Brand was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison after being found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women.
Comedian Katherine Ryan said she felt “grief and relief” after Brand was convicted.
Speaking on her Telling Everybody Everything podcast, Ryan said: “Today there are a lot of women speaking, like the way we always do, privately and quietly, the way we’ve learned to do, to avoid being attacked and to keep each other safe, and a lot of those women feel a very nuanced mix of emotions today.”
After the verdict, Katy Brand said: “It is hard to convey how all powerful this piece of s*** was for a while,” she wrote, revealing her disgust at how he was able to “dominate” British entertainment for so long.
Brand said she had “so many meetings I had where I pitched shows and was told there needed to be a part for him or they wouldn’t be interested”. She added: “Practically every pitch meeting available was to one of his enablers for a while.”
