Joe Lycett played gigs in Qatar and Dubai – despite blasting David Beckham for being paid to go there
COMEDIAN Joe Lycett was at the centre of a hypocrisy storm last night after it emerged he was paid to do gigs in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The 34-year-old star recently branded former England captain David Beckham “a disgrace” for his megabucks deal with Qatar during the World Cup, over the country’s harsh anti-LGBTQ laws.
Now Joe may have to eat his words after it emerged he previously did several performances in controversial Gulf states himself.
Fans who saw the shows have hit out at the star, who even wrote about playing in Dubai, Abu Dhabi — both in the UAE — and Qatar in his 2016 autobiography.
It comes five weeks after he threatened to shred £10,000 of his own cash in protest at Becks’ deal — and later filmed himself destroying money, which turned out to be fake.
Fan Melanie Sweeting tweeted in response to the stunt: “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, James Sutherland, added: “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.”
Fans also posted pictures online which they claim to have taken with Joe in Dubai.
Writing in his memoir Parsnips, Buttered, Joe made fun of the region’s anti-gay laws. He wrote: “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!”
Last week, Joe read out a statement from David Beckham’s team on his Got Your Back Christmas special on Channel 4.
On the show, Joe branded Becks, who previously appeared on the front cover of gay magazine Attitude, a “disgrace”.
He added: “I am angry at his blatant hypocrisy and failure to be an ally to the LGBTQ community.”
Despite the £10,000 he destroyed in his recent stunt turning out to be fake, Joe has donated the same amount to LGBTQ charities.
Last night a source said: “It seems utterly baffling Joe appears to have forgotten his own time out there.
“It’s a very strange bandwagon to jump on when you’ve actually been to the place you’re so very vocally slagging off.”
Last night a spokesperson for Lycett did not respond to our requests for comment.
