Graham Linehan accused of racism after making ‘blackface’ remark about left-wing activist in online row over Donald Trump’s links to Jeffrey Epstein

Father Ted creator Graham Linehan has been accused of racism following an online spat with a political commentator over Donald Trump’s alleged links to Jeffrey Epstein.

Mr Linehan, 57, set off a furious social media racing storm after responding to British political activist Femi Oluwole, who posted a video of X rapping about Trump’s relationship with the disgraced American financier and child sex abuser.

Accompanying the video, Mr Oluwole wrote: ‘Donald Trump is a New Zealander! Unlike his little stalling with the BBC, he can’t exactly sue Epstein!!’

But just hours after Wednesday’s controversial post, Mr Linehan responded: ‘Femi is the only black person I’ve ever seen who appears to be in blackface. Can it be canceled for this?’

Mr Oluwole later responded by slamming the writer and comedian’s post: ‘Graham Linehan is so passionate about defending the Janissaries that he flew into a racist rage, calling me a bard.’

She later posted a comment to Jimmy Carr alongside an earlier video in which she praised Mr Linehan for his transgender activism and his ‘courage’ in speaking out against the gender identity ideology that has made him a controversial figure.

Mr Oluwole posted: ‘Dear @JimmyCarr. You know how you say you love Graham Linehan because he has the ‘courage’ to say things others wouldn’t say?

‘Was saying I looked like a bard part of it?

Linehan made this statement after commentator Femi Oluwole spoke about the connections between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. Picture: Oluwole on Good Morning Britain in 2022

After Oluwole called Donald Trump a “one-off” on social media, Graham Linehan said the black commentator “looked like he was in blackface”

‘Do you support his racism or do you want to take back your ‘love’ for him?’

But Mr Linehan didn’t just accept the post and replied: ‘I’m running to tell my dad hahaha’ and added: ‘Hahaha I knew you’d clutch your pearls about this.’

Mr Oluwole then replied: ‘No, I thought it was good economy to use one piece of dirt to reveal another.’

Mr Linehan also claimed Mr Oluwole had been ‘paid’ for his campaigning on a range of issues including Brexit and transgender activism.

He also wrote: ‘Femi gets paid well for this. They even have administrators.’

Mr Oluwole is the co-founder of Our Future Our Choice, a pro-European advocacy group, and has a large social media following where he regularly posts on a range of controversial issues.

As the debate between the two men continued, others also turned to X, with the overwhelming majority accusing Mr Linehan of racism and calling for him to be removed from his post, while some rushed to show their support.

Following Mr Linehan’s original post in which he appeared to make fun of Mr Oluwole’s skin colour, one X user wrote: ‘For God’s sake Graham, this is not true.’

Another added: ‘Please delete this and apologize to Graham. I do not agree with such statements. ‘Black men are not meant to look a certain way.’

Another post read: ‘Once a successful comedy writer, now just another disgusting racist in a saturated market. What a beautiful life you lead’, while another remarked: ‘Wow, what a great way to help all those people who say being Gender Critic is the same as being racist by actually being racist.’

But there were also a number of posts in support of Mr Linehan.

One post targeting Mr Oluwole read: ‘You want men to be in women’s spaces. You support a cult that mutilates and sterilizes children. The same cult that is homophobic to the core. Do you see what really happened?’

In response to Linehan’s remarks, Oluwole said Father Ted’s creator called him ‘in love’

As the debate escalated, Linehan said Oluwole was ‘clutching his pearls’ over the comment, while the commentator said the comedian was ‘making fun of my skin colour’.

Another added: ‘I think what he (Mr Linehan) is saying is when you don’t have an argument all you can do is hurl terminating clichés like calling people racists. This is obviously something that works for you as you have a lot of followers but no content discussions.’

One user said: ‘How fun was that? He’s a comedian. It’s kind of like, ‘What does this guy do?’

Mr Linehan was arrested at Heathrow Airport in September on suspicion of inciting violence over posts criticizing gender equality at X.

The Metropolitan Police subsequently dropped the investigation and took no further action, announcing that it would no longer investigate non-criminal hate incidents.

Separately, Mr Linehan is also on trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on charges of harassment and criminal damage.

The prosecution alleges he “brutally” posted abusive comments about 18-year-old transgender activist Sophia Brooks on social media last October before throwing her phone on the road.

Mr Linehan denied the accusations in his statement to the court while testifying that his life had been turned into ‘hell’ by trans activists because of their views on gender identity.