Comedian Katherine Ryan has revealed that Victoria Beckham personally contacted her to express offence at a joke made on the BBC programme Have I Got News For You, prompting an unreserved apology from Ryan.
The joke occurred during a November 2025 episode of the show, when panellists discussed a leaked email in which Victoria's husband, former footballer David Beckham, had allegedly used the C-word. In response, Ryan said: "I don't know that we are allowed to broadcast the c-word, but you did reference Victoria Beckham earlier and we'll allow that."
BBC Upholds Complaint
Following the broadcast, some viewers complained to the BBC about Ryan's language. The BBC later upheld a complaint regarding the joke, after viewers claimed the "obscene term" used had been "gratuitously offensive". This resulted in the BBC cutting the joke from the episode broadcast on November 7, 2025.
Ryan, 43, has since addressed the incident on several occasions. In an Instagram post, she explained the context, saying: "I'm really sorry, sometimes the jokes don't land. At that time, though there is no defence, I was suffering from a condition called matrescence. I was in that building with a 10-day-old baby."
Ryan's Apology and Explanation
Matrescence is a term coined by anthropologist Dana Raphael in the 1970s and describes the process of becoming a mother. Ryan had just given birth to her fourth child when the episode was broadcast.
In her Instagram post, she continued: "Should I have left the house? This is gonna be a tough one for the feminists because I was a woman going to work but I did call another woman a C. Sometimes I forget that celebrities are not my friends."
In an interview with Heat magazine, Ryan said she hoped Victoria would understand the joke was not intended to be taken seriously. She said: "If Victoria had seen the broadcast, she would have known it was tongue-in-cheek. I never actually used the c-word – I was being cheeky while trying to wrap up a segment."
No Further Contact
Ryan revealed that Beckham did reach out to her personally to voice displeasure at the joke before Ryan issued an apology. Ryan added: "Victoria reached out to me as soon as it happened and said she was offended. I unreservedly apologised and said, 'I love you and I'm really sorry. This is just how I am and I certainly didn't mean to hurt any feelings'."
The comedian said this was the final communication she received from the former Spice Girl, and the two have not spoken since. Ryan expressed her wish that she and Victoria could "patch things up one day".
