Dawn French has claimed that cancel culture has been forcing people “into corners” and turning people into cowards.
French is known for writing and starring in the BBC sketch comedy series French and Saunders with best friend and comedy partner Jennifer Saunders.
She is also famed for playing the lead role of Geraldine Granger in the BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley from 1994 to 2000.
The 66-year-old recently spoke out on cancel culture and noted that many people talk about “inclusivity and favouring difference and all the rest of it” but “that’s not how we’re living.”
She added that people have become “massively intolerant [and] quick to blame” others, she said on The Happy Place podcast.
Touching on the idea of “cancel culture”, she added: “I genuinely think we’re being forced into corners where I can smell my own cowardice.
Dawn hit out at cancel culture and defended JK Rowling's comments
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“I don’t like that – I’ve never been cowardly, I hope, but I’m starting to be that because I’m being circumspect about what I will support or not in case it causes trouble.”
Whilst issuing her response towards cancel culture, she also offered a lukewarm defence of JK Rowling and her ongoing trans row.
During her acting career, French also starred in Harry Potter and the Prison of Azkaban in 2004 and noted that Rowling has “paid a huge price” for sharing her views.
She recalled that she was told she needed to “catch up” because people weren’t constantly teaching others how to behave.
Dawn made her name on the BBC show The Vicar of Dibley
BBC
The irked actor argued: “It’s very powerful to say [‘I don’t know’], especially when you don’t know. That’s better than pretending you do know.
“It’s certainly better than forming an opinion about something you don’t know. And I’m just saying, please, especially you younger folk.
“Please inform me and explain this to me so that I can understand it and not make this mistake again. But don’t tell me to catch up.”
She claimed that Rowling was a “good person” who had “made her mistakes” and supported the idea of “robust debate that might change your mind.”
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Dawn French commented on cancel culture
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However, the star quickly added that it would be “impossible if what we’ve got to do is hunker back into our positions, defend them by spitting and being furious and then blaming and cancelling.”
She said that, “as women especially”, the “last thing we should do is shut up”.