Boy George is an entertainer, and he’s returned to entertaining (Picture: ITV/Rex)
Well it’s back.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here has kicked off with the latest mixture of reality TV stars, retired sportsmen and pop music has-beens returning to the jungle.
I’ve noticed the column inches already written about controversial former Health Secretary Matt Hancock abandoning his constituency to enter the show, but there’s another campmate who has been dividing viewers.
Boy George is rumoured to be the highest paid person in the history of I’m a Celeb, with a reported £500,000 participation fee.
That hasn’t been without protest – as some have questioned his involvement on such a primetime ITV show because of his criminal past.
Personally, I’m not convinced we should be blocking his participation, because he committed a crime, yes, but he also served his sentence. We may be upset – but everyone is entitled to a second roll of the dice.
And that’s not to undermine the severity of his crimes.
The anger isn’t just the usual trawling of someone’s social media to find something controversial from years ago – Boy George has a particularly grim criminal history that many understandably cannot get over.
Just to recap, back in 2009 the singer, real name George O’Dowd, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for false imprisonment.
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In 2007 he handcuffed Auden Carlsen to a wall and beat him with a metal chain.
Auden said at the time that he was ‘shocked, degraded and traumatised’ by the horrific ordeal, and Judge David Radford said the singer’s offence was ‘so serious that only an immediate sentence of imprisonment can be justified.’
The star, who blamed his actions on a psychotic episode, only served four months of his term before being released. He was forced to then wear an ankle monitor and had restrictions on his movement such as a curfew.
Those actions are indefensible, but I’m forced to ask – if we truly believe in justice, why should we stop this man working?
The fact is that Boy George committed a crime and was punished for it.
He served his time and is now back living out a second chance to be a law abiding citizen.
He hasn’t reoffended, and for me he stands as living proof that our justice system works and those who serve time at His Majesty’s Pleasure can be rehabilitated.
Before he went to jail he had been an 80s icon, an entertainer who paved the way for future artists.
Boy George is cashing in, undoubtedly, but it’s based on his decades of fame and career as a popstar, not on his notoriety as someone who carried out a violent crime.
We, the audience, may decide who eats bugs in the jungle, but we are not a true judge and jury.
Our courts decided on the appropriate punishment for Boy George, and he duly accepted their ruling.
Being a celebrity is a privilege and earning eye-watering amounts of money is obviously going to annoy naysayers.
But for those calling for Boy George to be blocked from a reality show as a result of his crimes – did you know you’ve already previously got your wish?
Yes, that’s right – in 2009 a judge stopped the singer from taking part in the final series of Celebrity Big Brother.
Before Boy George went to prison, he was an icon of the 80s and a trailblazer (Picture: Getty Images)
Mr Justice Bean said it would not be right for an offender to take part in such a high-profile event while technically still serving a sentence.
The feelings of Carlsen were also taken into consideration and potential harm to the victim was a huge part of the reason we didn’t get to see the singer in that famous house.
That ruling cost Boy George a reported £200,000 from the then Channel 4 show, and back then, I’d certainly agree that an offender serving the non-custodial part of a sentence of imprisonment shouldn’t be making big money.
It is now 13 years since Boy George was sentenced. I believe enough time has passed that he can now be allowed to earn a living again.
The judge who sentenced him didn’t say he could never work as a celebrity again.
If Boy George was a plumber who had committed a crime in 2009, he would return to plumbing. If he was a painter he would still be painting.
But he isn’t – he is an entertainer and is back entertaining.
Please don’t mistake my belief Boy George should be allowed to work as any kind of endorsement.
I certainly was quick to note the strange irony that Boy George took the moral high ground upon discovering Matt Hancock was entering the jungle.
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George tearfully said he felt uncomfortable having fun with Hancock, and if his mother had died during the pandemic, he would not have been on the show with the MP, a pretty spectacular bit of stone throwing from someone in a glass house.
Boy George may be hypocritical, he may not be your chosen contestant, but he did his crime, he did his time, and he has to be allowed to work.
If he isn’t – why bother having a justice system at all?
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MORE : Matt Hancock grilled by I’m A Celebrity campmates while Boy George issues warning
It is now 13 years since Boy George was sentenced – I believe enough time has passed that he can now be allowed to earn a living again.
