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4 February 2022 1:06 PM

The Apprentice’s Amy Anzel criticised for joking about homophobic slur controversy

One person told Amy to "Get out and stay out".

By Alastair James

Words: Alastair James; pictures: BBC

The Apprentice star, Amy Anzel, has come under fire for joking about her previous use of a homophobic slur. 

Anzel, who reckons that she is “the queen of the gays and crabs” apologised after a backlash at the end of January after saying she was being mobbed by “homos” while exploring Manchester’s Canal Street.

But as she was tweeting about last night’s (Thursday 3 February) Amy shared screenshots of her dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and said it was her “being condemned by gay Twitter and the mainstream media for unknowingly tweeting an offensive abbreviation of the word homosexual.”

“Get out and stay out”

The tweet drew a mixed response from people with some criticising her for making light of her use of a homophobic slur. One person tweeted: “Get out and stay out. You’re not part of our community and you don’t get to talk about us as if you are. You knew that.”

Another person advised Amy, “Sometimes it’s best to just shhhh for a while. Try it.”

But there were also people supporting Amy. One person said: “Are we actually offended by “homo” as …homos” 

While another recognised both sides: “Babe you’ve split opinion but regardless, it’s obvious your heart is in the right place and you care for the community. It’s turned into a meme now anyway!”

Addressing old accusations of homophobia which followed her asking a dancer to “strip away the gay” on the 2013 Channel 4 programme The Sound of Musicals the beauty brand entrepreneur told MailOnline: “Unfortunately this comment was taken completely out of context. In reality, I was giving a dancer creative direction during an audition for a show that I was producing. 

“To suggest that I’m even slightly homophobic is completely untrue. I’m a huge supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, always have been and always will be.”

She also told The Gay UK in 2013: “I don’t necessarily agree with defending myself but I’m happy to explain. I would have said to a straight person auditioning for a gay role to strip away the straight and be more gay – it goes both ways.”

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