Joe Lycett excited to show he’s not ‘gay comedian off TV’ on Celebrity Traitors
Joe Lycett is on the 2026 series of Celebrity Traitors (BBC/Studio Lambert/Cody Burridge/BBC Creative)
Joe Lycett has said he’s often typecast as the “gay comedian off the telly”, and thinks Celebrity Traitors will surprise fellow contestants by showing how calm he is away from “show mode”.
Ahead of the new series of Celebrity Traitors, Lycett, 38, said: “I definitely come across assumptions of ‘oh, he’s the gay comedian off the telly’ and I explain I’ve got a female partner and a son with said female partner.”
The comedian is pansexual and has a child with his girlfriend.
He added: “When I’m not out on stage, I’m very calm, thoughtful and peaceful.”
Lycett suggested that contrast could even work against him in the game. “I think the comics know what I’m like on and off stage, but I think the others who, for the first time, will spend time with me not in ‘show mode’ might see that as suspicious,” he said.
He also reflected on how his public persona has changed over time: “When I started doing stand-up, my on and off-stage persona were quite similar. I showed off at parties because I wanted attention and then, gradually, as I got that attention through doing stand-up, I could calm down in real life.”
Celebrity Traitors start date
Celebrity Traitors begins on Thursday, 1 October at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with an extra-long opening episode. Contestants will compete for a cash prize pot of up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice.
Lycett is one of a number of queer cast members of Celebrity Traitors, alongside Bella Ramsey, Myha’la, and Sebastian Croft.
The television star also described himself as a long-time fan of the franchise, saying: “That first year I sent a DM on Twitter, which was not responded to, to Studio Lambert to ask if they could send me all the rushes,” adding: “I just was so hit by it and wanted more. I am just thrilled to be part of the universe of The Traitors and to have been asked.”
Joe Lycett on identity and fandom
Birmingham-born, Lycett is a comedian and consumer-rights campaigner known for mixing satire with activism. He fronted Channel 4’s Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back, and has publicly described himself as pansexual. In 2024, he spoke about people assuming he was gay despite having a female partner, and in August he discussed the reaction to him becoming a dad, saying some people were surprised because they thought he was “the gay man”.
Lycett also said he has been focusing on his fitness in recent months. “I’ve been trying to get fitter and stronger over the last few months, just for my own well-being and to be a better father and all of that,” he said, before joking: “I’m incredibly strong now. As strong as an ox. Fierce as well. As fierce as a tiger.”
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