Love Island hit with 272 Ofcom complaints over ‘racist’ joke from Siânnise Fudge to Nas Majeed and big game hunter Ollie Williams’ inclusion on show
- 231 complaints were about big game hunter Ollie Williams being a contestant
- 36 complaints were concerned with Nas Majeed, the only Asian cast member, being referred to as ‘Aladdin’ by partner Siânnise Fudge
Love Island has been hit with 272 Ofcom complaints after just one episode.
Furious viewers contacted the broadcasting regulator over Siânnise Fudge, 25, comparing her partner Nas Majeed, 23 – the only Asian contestant – to Aladdin, during Sunday night’s launch show.
Other fans of the show were left outraged because of the inclusion of big game hunter Ollie Williams, 23, in the line up.
Oh dear! Love Island has been hit with 272 Ofcom complaints after just one episode
A spokesperson for OfCom told MailOnline ‘We received 272 complaints in total about last night’s Love Island.
‘231 are Ollie being a contestant. 36 of these are about Nas being referred to as Aladdin.’
‘We will assess these complaints against our broadcasting rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.’
The complaints come after social media erupted with viewers who were furious about both matters.
Outrage: Fans of the show were left outraged because of the inclusion of big game hunter Ollie Williams, 23, in the line up
Race row: Furious viewers also contacted the broadcasting regulator over Siânnise Fudge comparing her partner Nas Majeed, 23 – the only Asian contestant – to Aladdin
When no one chose to step forward for Nas, Siânnise claimed ‘I’m not too sure about the shorts’ as her excuse when quizzed about why she didn’t fancy him.
Trying to make a joke out of the situation, the Disney fan piped up that Nas ‘looked like Aladdin’ – despite bearing no resemblance to the animated character.
Nas described himself as ‘funny, always myself, caring and considerate” in his VT, yet failed to impress the ladies with his entrance.
Awkward: When no one chose to step forward for Nas, Siânnise claimed ‘I’m not too sure about the shorts’ as her excuse when quizzed about why she didn’t fancy him
Flirting? Trying to make a joke out of the situation, the Disney fan piped up that Nas ‘looked like Aladdin’ – despite bearing no real resemblance to the animated character
Animated character: Twitter was awash with incredulous fan reaction as viewers were left in disbelief by her ‘racist’ comparison
After he picked Siânnise, the Bristolian beauty declared: ‘He’s lovely. I love Princess Jasmine and he looks a bit like Aladdin.’
Her partner took it well, enthusing, ‘Don’t even do that to me! I’m actually gassed now’ but Twitter was awash with incredulous fan reaction as viewers were left in disbelief by her ‘racist’ comparison.
Continuing with her Disney comparisons, Siânnise likened Ollie to another animated character, saying, ‘I feel like you look like John Smith from Pocahontas’.
Staying put: Love Island bosses have previously said they have ‘no intention’ of axing Ollie Williams after he was exposed as a ‘big game hunter’
Defiant: Producers of the ITV2 series refuse to ‘bow down to the public on a moral issue’ as they don’t believe keeping Ollie on the show will affect viewing figures
In regards to Ollie Williams’ inclusion on the show, Love Island bosses previously told MailOnline that they have ‘no intention’ of axing the land owner after he was exposed as a ‘big game hunter who posed with an array of dead animals he killed in Africa.’
Producers of the ITV2 series refuse to ‘bow down to the public on a moral issue’ as they don’t believe keeping Ollie on the show will affect viewing figures.
An insider told MailOnline: ‘It is highly unlikely Ollie will be booted off the series. He’s part of the lineup and already filmed the first episode – bosses see no reason to kick him off.’
A source continued: ‘Love Island cast Ollie out of thousands of applicants and are sticking to their decision.
‘They’re hoping this will all blow over once the audience gets to know Ollie after seeing him on screen.’