Phillip Schofield affair response was ‘completely homophobic’, says Sir Elton John

Sir Elton John has mentioned the response to Phillip Schofield’s secret affair with a youthful colleague was “totally homophobic”.

The 76-year-old singer claimed a heterosexual relationship with the same age hole wouldn’t have attracted such unfavourable media protection.

“I really feel that the Phillip Schofield factor has been completely homophobic,” he advised the Radio Times.

“If it was a straight guy in a fling with a young woman, it wouldn’t even make the papers.”

Schofield, 61, departed ITV programme This Morning final month after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” relationship with a youthful male colleague, which he had lied about for years.

The fallout noticed ITV announce an exterior evaluate, and managers on the broadcaster have been known as to offer proof in parliament about claims of a “toxic” office.

Schofield apologised in an announcement on social media and through subsequent interviews with The Sun and the BBC, saying he had “lost everything” whereas additionally alleging homophobia had motivated the criticism of him.

“It’s accepted by Leonardo DiCaprio, it’s not accepted if it’s in the gay world,” he claimed.

LGBTQ+ rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and actor Rupert Everett additionally criticised the response to the affair.

Tatchell mentioned it had “more than a whiff of homophobia”, whereas Everett described it as “insane”.

Read extra:
ITV questioning because it occurred
What we realized from Philip Schofield’s interviews

Sir Elton’s feedback got here as he denounced the therapy of LGBTQ+ individuals within the US as “disgraceful”.

“It’s all going pear-shaped in America,” mentioned the Rocketman performer.

“There’s violence, (discriminatory) legal guidelines enacted in Florida, that are disgraceful.”

Among the laws launched by Governor Ron DeSantis are college academics being banned from giving classes about sexual orientation, and docs being given permission to disclaim therapies to LGBTQ+ sufferers.

Sir Elton mentioned hate in direction of his neighborhood was spreading “like a virus”.

His interview with the Radio Times comes forward of his efficiency at Glastonbury this weekend.

The I’m Still Standing star will headline the pageant’s Pyramid Stage on 25 June.