James Acaster has revealed he was left 'too scared to Google' himself following his exit from The Celebrity Traitors, and insists he does not care about the backlash.
The comedian made history on the BBC series when he revealed his true identity in chaotic scenes that saw filming halted. Much of the social media chatter regarding the second series was centred on Acaster, with many fans adamant that the traitors would have won the series, eventually won by Romesh Ranganathan and actor Sebastian Croft, had he not revealed his identity.
A Reluctant Traitor
The 41-year-old had been a 'reluctant Traitor' after being recruited at the beginning of the competition, having wanted to play as a Faithful. Viewers were divided by his refusal to take part in one challenge which encouraged mischief from the traitors.
He eventually revealed himself as a Traitor at the round table after Michael Sheen began questioning his involvement in the murder of Ross Kemp. Acaster said in the episode: "I just want to explain my situation. I was made a Traitor without wanting to be. I've had a unique experience on this that no one has had before."
'I Genuinely Haven't Seen Any of It'
Several weeks on from one of the most shocking TV moments of the year, Acaster said he was determined not to worry about those who disagreed with him. He made the admission on the Table Manners podcast, hosted by singer-songwriter Jessie Ware and her mother, Lennie Ware.
"I'm not on social media, and I genuinely don't look at it. With a show as big as Traitors, I'm too scared to google myself or look at the press. So, I genuinely haven't seen any of it," he said. "It's weird because I have a bit of a disconnected thing from it. I know that those things have been talked about and gone on, but I don't know how massive they are."
Standing by His Decision
Looking back at the roundtable that led to his banishment, Acaster continued: "After it happened, you go: Well, that's never happened on the show before, so there's going to be every opinion under the sun about that."
He went on to say that he thought his decision 'would make good telly' and that he wanted to 'stand by it'. No other traitor had ever confessed to their actions on the programme. "I don't care. Because you obviously get to that point where you know that the public will have every opinion about it. You can't worry about the people who don't like whatever it is that you've done," he said.
By the end of his experience on the show, Acaster said he was 'knackered' by everything it entailed. It later emerged that the episode where he left required significant editing after production was brought to a standstill when the mounting pressure reportedly proved too much for him. A representative for him declined to comment on the reports, while a BBC spokesperson said in response that its 'highest priority is always the safety and welfare of everyone taking part'.
