Comedian Janey Godley has been dropped from a Scottish Government Covid-19 health campaign.
The decision comes after The Scottish Sun and US news website The Daily Beast reported historic tweets in which she used derogatory language about disabled people, Chernobyl victims and black celebrities Kelly Rowland and Snoop Dogg.
Godley, who found viral fame with her dubbed pastiches of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s coronavirus news briefings in recent months, has apologised for using “offensive hurtful language” that has “terrible, horrific undertones”.
The 60-year-old was paid a reported £12,000 for the TV adverts, which were running online under the hashtag #Stopthespike amid rising coronavirus rates.
In a statement on Twitter on Thursday, Godley said: “I thought being an outspoken comedian meant I could get away with saying anything I wanted and people would accept that and not take it out of context, but that’s completely wrong.
“I have to stand up and own my offensive, hurtful language and apologise. They have horrific undertones and I deserve all the criticism that comes my way.”
The Scottish Government said on Thursday the Covid messaging adverts featuring Godley would be withdrawn “as soon as possible”.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “A series of unacceptable tweets by Janey Godley have been brought to our attention and, while she has rightly apologised, trust in our public health messages at this time is paramount.
“We have therefore taken the decision to withdraw any further campaign material in which Ms Godley features.
“The material will be discontinued immediately on our own channels and withdrawn as soon as possible from external media.”
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