Pictured at his OWN money-spinning Qatar gig: Comedian Joe Lycett faces hypocrisy storm as it emerges he played several shows in Middle East, despite campaign against David Beckham for World Cup deal
- Joe Lycett has been caught in a hypocrisy storm after he played shows in Qatar
- Pictures even show him posing with fans after one gig in Doha in January 2015
- Last month he campaigned against David Beckham for promoting the country
- He even fake ‘shredded’ £10,000 in a bid to get Beckham to drop the campaign
Photos have emerged showing Joe Lycett performing in Qatar and the Middle East despite his recent campaign against David Beckham for supporting the World Cup in Qatar.
Mr Lycett is facing a hypocrisy storm after it was revealed he played a number of shows in the country which he later called Beckham a ‘disgrace’ for promoting.
The comedian hit out at Beckham for failing to mention Qatar’s anti-LGBTQ laws and human rights abuses, before threatening to shred £10,000 of his own money if Beckham did not stop the publicity campaign.
He posted a video of himself ‘shredding’ the cash on social media, but later revealed that he had not actually destroyed any money and had instead donated the £10,000 to LGBTQ charities.
However, it has now been revealed that Lycett himself played at several money spinning gigs in January 2015, performing in two shows in the Qatari capital of Doha.
Comedian Joe Lycett poses for a photo with fans after a show in Qatar in January 2015. Years later he criticised David Beckham for promoting the country
This promotional poster shows Lycett was advertised to play a number of dates in the Middle East
He played the dates as part of a tour of the country and the United Arab Emirates with The Foster’s Laughter Factory, accompanying fellow comedians Gordon Southern and Ben Norris.
In his 2017 autobiography ‘Parsnips, Buttered’, the comedian said he had played gigs in the Middle East while joking about their anti-LGBTQ laws.
Mr Lycett said: ‘I was performing stand-up in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar. Friends of mine had warned me about travelling to these countries, claiming that ‘they don’t like’, as one friend put it, ‘your lot’.
‘The punishment for homosexuality in these countries is oft jail, the logic of which I’ve never understood. Oh, you like men? We’ll put you in a box with some’. Not exactly a punishment, lads!’
Lycett posted a video of him ‘shredding’ £10,000, which was later revealed to be fake, in response to David Beckham’s promotion of Qatar
Joe Lycett (right) was seen pictured alongside fellow comedians Gordon Southern (centre) and Ben Norris (left) at a gig in Qatar in January 2015
Lycett , pictured here on his Channel 4 show, said he played a number of shows in the Middle East in his 2017 autobiography
A number of fans responded to Mr Lycett’s criticism of Beckham and the Qatari regime by accusing him of hypocrisy.
One said: ‘I don’t understand why you are so angry as I remember seeing you perform here in Qatar at the Radisson Blue at the Laughter Factory!
‘You didn’t seem to have a problem taking Qatari money that night?’
Another said: ‘Many people sharing Joe Lycett’s publicity stunt shaming David Beckham. In 2015 he performed stand-up in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar. By all means feel free to criticise David Beckham, but don’t be a hypocrite about it.’
Mr Lycett’s representatives were contacted for comment.
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