The comedian, 36, was at the helm of the biggest night in British music for the fifth time last night (1 March) as the awards got underway at London’s O2 Arena.
It was quite the eventful evening – Sabrina Carpenter opened the Brits with a controversial performance, Danny Dyer was spotted next to a ‘horse’ and Charli XCX called out ITV for ‘complaining about her nipples’.
Social media users had plenty to discuss, especially when it came to some of Whitehall’s eyebrow-raising material.
During his opening monologue, he joked: “ITV has had so many of its presenters cancelled this year they’ve had to come crawling back to an ex. And what an honour it is to be hosting again the biggest night in British music.”
Jack Whitehall made a few controversial quips while hosting the Brit Awards (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Whitehall went on to absolutely roast KSI, slip in a Hawk Tuah joke, and chew the fat with Danny Dyer about world leaders, before cracking a very controversial joke about Diddy.
The music mogul, 55, is currently in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York as he awaits trial over a slew of shocking charges.
He has been accused of racketeering, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution, in relation to incidents which allegedly occurred at his infamous ‘freak off’ parties.
Diddy – real name Sean John Combs – has strongly denied all charges against him and has pleaded not guilty.
At the Brits, Whitehall made a quip about the rapper following Jade Thirlwall’s incredible performance on stage, where she belted out her hit ‘Angel Of My Dreams’.
She was flanked by a host of dancers who were also dressed in white…and this style choice really set Thirlwall up for Whitehall’s joke.
After the former Little Mix star wrapped up her performance, the host told the camera: “They’re on their feet! Look at them! That was amazing! Jade everyone, wow. I’ve got goosebumps right now.
“Also, I love that she went for that aesthetic. I really thought Diddy might have done it for the White Party theme. Jade has brought it back.”
Diddy hosted a ‘White Party’ each year, which a string of celebrities attended, after beginning the tradition all the way back in 1998.
Fans have accused the comedian of taking the shine off of Thirlwall’s performance with his Diddy joke (JMEnternational/Getty Images)
In a 2006 interview with Oprah, he said of his guest list: “I had the craziest mix: some of my boys from Harlem; Leonardo DiCaprio, after he’d just finished Titanic.
“I had socialites there and relatives from down south. There were 200 people sitting out here, just having a down-home cookout.”
Whitehall has come under fire for the joke, with fans of Thirlwall taking to social media to accuse him of ‘ruining’ her performance.
In a post on X, one person said: “That performance by Jade was incredible and quickly ruined by Jack Whitehall joking about P Diddy.”
Another wrote: “Jack Whitehall making a Diddy joke was so tasteless and tone deaf.”
A third added: “A Diddy joke… it’s not f**king funny and it never has been, someone get Jack Whitehall off stage.”
Diddy infamously hosted an annual White Party (Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage for Bragman Nyman Cafarelli)
A fourth viewer commented: “Diddy joke? Stop booking Jack Whitehall for things PLEASE it’s not 2013 anymore.”
And a fifth fumed: “Jack Whitehall how dare you mention Diddy in the same sentence as Jade.”
Whitehall discussed his creative process when it comes to crafting his jokes for a gig such as the Brits ahead of the award show.
“We have this process where we spend four months writing this script and crafting it all and [in the rehearsal] there’s this moment where we’re finalising it, picking the right jokes and slotting it all into place,” he revealed.
“Then for the dress rehearsals, I do a dummy script so no one can complain about what I’m saying about their acts.
“Then on the night, I make sure there are a few surprises for the acts, the record labels and ITV. I like to keep everyone on their toes.”
You can say that again.
