A star of the stage and screen, Adjoa Andoh HonFRSL, made waves around the world with her comments on the royal family’s post-coronation balcony appearance.
Coverage of King Charles III’s coronation was available around the world from numerous providers, but it was the comments Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh made during ITV’s extensive coverage in the UK that set the internet ablaze.
To kick off their day, the network broadcast a special edition of their Good Morning Britain show, with a programme hosted by Tom Bradby and Julie Etchingham to follow.
Their show saw them welcome a whole host of guests – including but not limited to reporters out on The Mall for the day’s festivities. Their coverage was going as planned until they cut to their temporary studio for the royals stepping out onto Buckingham Palace’s balcony.
Bradby and Etchingham asked for thoughts from their guests, and it was then that Andoh shared her take, noting that “we have gone from the rich diversity of the Abbey to a terribly white balcony. I am very struck by that.
“I am also looking at those younger generations and thinking ‘what are the nuances that they will inhabit when they grow?’”
A clip from the show went viral on Twitter soon after it was uploaded, where it was met with mixed – and loud – response.
The comment stunned the ITV presenters, and Myleene Klass was seen staring at the actor as she spoke.
The clip was later shared on Twitter, where it received a mixed response. Some people criticised Andoh for her words, while others applauded her for speaking out.
Dozens raced to submit complaints to OFCOM, claiming that Andoh’s take had stemmed from racist ideals, while others rose to her defence, thanking her for speaking out.
As author and activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu wrote, Andoh “told no lies in factual observation of ‘terribly White’ (literal & symbolic) Buckingham palace balcony at #Coronation in contrast to tokenism of race diversity at Westminster Abbey & got branded ‘racist’”.
Meanwhile, conservative commentator Darren Grimes demanded to know “why is it ok to dismiss a white family for being white?”
They were only two of such comments flooding social media, and were the exact kind Andoh addressed in her next public appearance, when she joined Paddy O’Connnell on BBC Radio 4.
“I think I upset a few people yesterday,” she noted. “I was talking about the day and how marvellous it was, and then looking at the balcony at the end and suddenly going ‘oh, it’s so white!’ because the day had been so mixed, and I didn’t mean to upset anybody.”
However, it wasn’t quite enough to stem the tide of feedback, while users all across Twitter taking sides, and sharing their opinion on the latest round of comment.
“There’s an old saying: “Think before you speak”. Andoh thought about it and said it anyway,” one said. “Spare us the crocodile tears. You knew exactly what you meant.”
“She said the right thing they didn’t want to hear instead of the white thing they did want to hear,” another wrote. “The firm had an extraordinary opportunity to show progress and inclusion, not to mention the perfect ambassadors for the Commonwealth – and they ran them out of town.”
Images: Getty
This article first appeared on Over60.