Channel 4′s The Last Leg has been the subject of Ofcom complaints over a joke broadcast about teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg.
Comedian Rosie Jones made the “inappropriate” quip about the 16-year-old during the show’s New Year’s Eve special.
She said: “I mean Greta’s amazing and what she’s doing is brilliant. But don’t do it now.
“She needs to live a little, she’s only 16. She should be doing two things – drinking Lambrini and getting fingered.”
TV watchdog Ofcom has now confirmed it has received 22 complaints about the joke.
As is standard procedure, the regulator will have to assess all the complaints before deciding whether or not to launch an investigation into if the show broke their broadcasting code.
The comment shocked many viewers on social media when it aired, who said it was “inappropriate” and “tasteless”.
Comedian Sarah Pascoe, who was also a guest on the show, laughed at Rosie’s joke, but later added: “I feel like we should apologise. She’s trying to save all our lives.”
It is not the first time a celebrity has caused controversy with their remarks about Thunberg.
Both Jeremy Clarkson and Piers Morgan have publicly criticised the young environmentalist, whose activism sparked a global strike movement that has seen millions of youngsters from across the world protest by refusing to go to school.
Clarkson branded her a “spoilt brat” in his column in The Sun, while Morgan has mocked her on Good Morning Britain, although he has since admitted he “admires” and “worries” about her.