Online hate abuse ‘worse than ever’
Telly host is targeted with anti-gay jibes amid ‘global attack on rights’
BRENDAN Courtney has opened up about being targeted by homophobic trolls who call him a “groomer” and a “paedo”.
The presenter, who was once left with a black eye after being punched in the face on a night out, said it’s always a worry for the gay community. Brendan, 52, told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “Online I get called a groomer and a paedo. “When I got gay bashed before the marriage referendum in 2015 all my straight friends were like ‘does that still happen’? “It’s worse than ever online. There’s a very silent but deadly global coordinated attack on our rights. “We thought after the marriage referendum in 2015, we’re all equal. Now we see people picketing libraries and just generally a sense of homophobia, and transphobia.”
Fashion designer Brendan recently signed a two-year contract for RTE Radio One as a stand-in for Oliver Callan on the Nine O’clock show.
He insisted satirist Callan is the right fit for the prime-time slot to replace Ryan Tubridy – and said he grew weary of fans’ sympathy when he didn’t get the gig.
He revealed: “I’m like ‘I don’t need your sympathy, I’m not upset’.
“I unwittingly ended up in an audition process for a job I didn’t apply for and then I publicly didn’t get it. I said hang on, I never asked for this job. In my real world this wasn’t really ever an option.
“I’m very happy but I find myself constantly having to explain it to people.”
Brendan said two months of regularly covering the morning radio show before Christmas “dominated” his life.
And he revealed: “When I started covering for Ryan I would prepare eight and half hours the day before the show.”
With Keys To My Life back on telly in March, a new podcast and a teledrama in development, there’s no downtime.
“Myself and David O’reilly from 2FM have started a podcast called Any News Almost Nationwide and we go county by county and reveal stupid funny news.
“I’m writing a script for a comedy drama, Mammy Issues, it’s about my mother’s life...it’s a comedy drama about a designer in his mid 30s and his mad, smoking, singing mother. So it’s based loosely on my life and it’s
just funnier.”
We thought we were all equal... but now there’s a deadly global attack on our rights