EXCLUSIVEMrs Browns Boys star Brendan OCarroll mounts extraordinary defence of N-word jokes
Mrs Browns Boys star Brendan OCarroll has mounted an extraordinary defence of using the N-word in his comedy, MailOnline can reveal.
Mrs Browns Boys star Brendan OCarroll has mounted an extraordinary defence of using the N-word in his comedy, MailOnline can reveal.
The star has been under fire this week after it emerged he made an apparently racist joke in front of a live audience for his popular sitcom.
The Dublin-born comic implied the N-word during rehearsals for his BBC Christmas special and has since apologised and said he deeply regrets making the controversial gag.
But now MailOnline can reveal that in an interview just two weeks ago OCarroll argued in defence of such controversial comedy and claimed it could work when used when he was in character as his alter-ego Agnes Brown.
In the interview, OCarroll, 69, cited a sketch also alluding to the N-word in the 2022 Netflix movie A Madea Homecoming in which he appeared in alongside US actor Tyler Perry as an hilarious example of this style of comedy.
Mrs Browns Boys star Brendan OCarroll has been under fire this week after it emerged he made an apparently racist joke in front of a live audience for his popular sitcom
Just two weeks ago OCarroll argued in defence of such controversial comedy and claimed it could work when used when he was in character as his alter-ego Agnes Brown
The Dublin-born comic implied the N-word during rehearsals for his BBC Christmas special and has since apologised and said he deeply regrets making the controversial gag
The sketch he cited is based on two characters with contrasting Irish and American accents so that the word knickers is misunderstood as n*****s.
The actor recalled this sketch as a success, saying: I did the movie with Tyler Perry and we were about four years in the planning of it.
But wed have Facetimes, and the scene that we do, the knicker/n***er piece, we howled laughing at it.
And we agreed that we [Perry and OCarroll] wouldnt get away with it - but [our characters] Madea and Mrs Brown would.
So we did it, and it became one of the highlights of the f***ing movie.
Re-enacting the scene, OCarroll went on: In the movie Agnes says, Now hold on, dont be getting your knickers in a twist.
To which the reply is: Did you call me a n***er?
Agnes says: No, no, I said knicker.
N***er? Knicker! N***er? Knicker!
MailOnline can reveal that in an interview just two weeks ago OCarroll argued in defence of such controversial comedy and claimed it could work when used when he was in character as his alter-ego Agnes Brown
OCarroll goes on: It was f***ing hilarious. And the place fell apart laughing.
OCarroll also said that in all his time writing and performing the popular sitcom for the BBC, he had never been asked to cut any of his material because it might offend.
He added: I have to tell you this when we do the mini series, this April itll be our 56th episode. And in 56 episodes - three of them live - not once has the BBC said to me, Dont do that.
Mrs Brown is Mrs Brown, and they just run it as it is.
The film he was discussing, A Madea Homecoming, is a 2022 American comedy film produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry - who is friends with Harry and Meghan.
In the film, which is on Netflix, like OCarroll, Perry appears in drag, as Mabel Madea Earlene Simmons in drag, a tough-talking elderly African-American woman.
The Mirror newspaper reported this week that the BBC had to pause rehearsals of the upcoming Christmas special to investigate the racial remark incident.
It later emerged that during a reading of the script while in character as Agnes Brown, OCarroll is said to have said I dont call a spade a spade, I call a spade a...
He then started to utter the N-word before he was stopped by a co-star, whose intervention was allegedly delivered while in character as Agnes daughter.
In a subsequent statement, OCarroll said: At a read-through of the Mrs Browns Boys Christmas specials, there was a clumsy attempt at a joke, in the character of Agnes, where a racial term was implied.
It backfired and caused offence which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.
Rehearsals at the broadcasters Pacific Quay studios in Glasgow have now resumed, with shows set to go out on the BBC on Christmas Day and New Years Day as planned.
Meanwhile, one of the founding members of the Mrs Browns Boys troupe from the days when it first began as a radio show on Irish broadcaster RTE, has come out in support of OCarroll and condemned the policing of comedy.
Gerry Browne, a musician, who helped OCarroll first break into the entertainment business, told MailOnline: There is far too much f***ing PC going on. Comedians tell jokes, tell gags.
Thats what you do and you either find them funny or not.
Truthfully, my opinion on it is, you tell gags...I think he [OCarroll] is brilliant.
I think people need to chill out. I get it, they jump all over everything, the lightest little thing and youre kind of going, For f***sake man, it was a joke. Thats what comedians do, they tell jokes. Thats what shows are about, funny gags.
I think people should learn its meant as a laugh, its not as if he got up and said something outrageous. Ah man, I think people are too PC, its gone crazy.
You cant say anything, you cant do anything, to me its way over the top - I dont think he should have apologised at all, thats the truth.
A spokesperson for OCarroll declined to comment.
How Brendan OCarroll was accused of bullying and letting fame go to his head in toxic behind-the-scenes bust up on show before racism row
by Les Roopanarine and Katie Hind
When Brendan OCarroll took to the stage at Londons O2 Arena to collect a National Television award for Mrs Browns Boys in 2020, the BBC proudly hailed the show as a critic-proof comedy.
It was one of six such triumphs for the much-garlanded sitcom and yet, for all the prizes and plaudits it has received, the series remains a lightning rod for criticism.
With the controversy surrounding the racist joke OCarroll made on set during filming for this years Christmas special, the show appears to have reached the nadir in what has been a slow-burning descent.
The 69-year-old actor, whose implied use of a racial epithet during a readthrough for the shows Christmas special prompted the BBC to pause rehearsals, has previously been accused of bullying on set and letting fame and fortune go to his head.
In late 2020, the Scottish actor Gary Hollywood, who played hairdresser Dino Doyle in the series for a decade, initiated legal action against OCarroll, the BBC and TV production firm Hungry Bear, claiming unfair dismissal and workplace discrimination.
Six months later, Hollywood dropped the case during a preliminary hearing, yet his scathing assessment of the shows toxic workplace culture – and of the dominant role played by OCarrolls family, many of whom are cast members – remains resonant.
Mammys clan: Cast members of Mrs Browns Boys and their relationship to Brendan OCarroll – left to right – Fiona OCarroll (daughter), Paddy Houlihan (no relation), Danny OCarroll (son), Martin Delany (son-in-law), Jennifer OCarroll (wife) Brendan OCarroll, Rory Cowan (no relation), Gary Hollywood (circled, no relation), Dermot ONeill (no relation), Pat Shields (no relation), Jamie OCarroll (grandson), Amanda Woods (daughter-in-law)
While some critics pan it as unfunny and an affront to good taste, the sitcom – featuring Brendan OCarroll as foul-mouthed Irish matriarch Agnes Brown – has been a hit for the BBC
Brendan O-Carroll pictured on ITVs This Morning in 2022
So much of the show, off screen, is about Brendans own family, said Hollywood. Its like jobs for the Browns. At times, as the years went on, it felt like it was a case of the Mrs The fame and fortune has gone to his head Browns mafia, which was difficult if you werent in it.
There is a fear of falling out with them, and of course that creates a tense atmosphere and I found myself walking on eggshells.
In papers lodged with an employment tribunal, the Glaswegian said he was paid 25% less than his colleagues for his role in the previous years six-part chat show spinoff, All Round at Mrs Browns. He also claimed he was dropped from one of two Christmas specials just days before filming started, adding that when he raised his concerns with OCarroll, he was told he should be more grateful.
I am so hurt by what Brendan has done to me, said Hollywood. The fame and fortune have gone to his head. I worked with him for 20 years… and this was not how I thought my time working on Mrs Browns Boys would end. Im devastated. What I have learned is that it is his way or the highway.
In my opinion, Brendan has changed so much in recent years since becoming more rich, famous and powerful.
When I raised my problems with Brendan, I was met with hostility. I felt it was bullying… like you cant say what you want to any more. I was told I should be grateful, that Im lucky.
So much of the show, off screen, is about Brendans own family, says Gary Hollywood, who played hairdresser Dino Doyle. Its like jobs for the Browns
Gary Hollywood pictured left with Rory Cowan, who is seen above as Rory Brown
Hollywood pictured above with Mrs Brown, who is played by Brendan OCarroll
OCarroll, winner of the Comedy Award for his role in Mrs Browns Boys, at the National Television Awards at the O2 Arena in September
The show was reportedly thrown into chaos when a bitter row broke out over Hollywoods pay. Hollywood was furious after learning that he earns less than the rest of the cast
Among the members of OCarrolls immediate family who feature in the show are his wife Jennifer Gibney, who plays his on-screen daughter Cathy, and his sister Eilish OCarroll, who portrays next-door neighbour Winnie McGoogan. Hs son Danny OCarroll appears as Buster Brady and his daughter, Fiona OCarroll, as daughter-in-law Maria. OCarrolls real life son-in-law, Martin Delany, and his grandson, Jamie OCarroll, are also regulars.
It used to be that we were all one, he said. But in later years, as Brendan became such a star, things really changed. Previously, I used to be able to speak openly - but in later years I was scared I might say the wrong thing about someone and that would be it. Brendans family are close, so I felt like an outsider with them.
OCarroll, who left school at 11, is estimated to be worth at least £10 million and, in 2017, he and his family splashed out on seven homes in Florida. He first launched Mrs Brown as part of a radio soap opera based largely on his mother, Maureen, who raised 11 children on very little income.
OCarroll, who plays the foul-mouthed Irish matriarch Agnes Brown, issued an apology after he implied the N-word during a script readthrough for the shows Christmas special.
It is understood that OCarroll said during the rehearsal: I dont call a spade a spade, I call a spade a- - at which point he began to form the racial epithet before being interrupted by a fellow cast member.
At a readthrough of the Mrs Browns Boys Christmas specials, there was a clumsy attempt at a joke, in the character of Agnes, where a racial term was implied, OCarroll said in a statement.
It backfired and caused offence, which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.
The BBC said: Whilst we dont comment on individuals, the BBC is against all forms of racism, and we have robust processes in place should issues ever arise.
