Joe Lycett says people wrongly assumed he was gay because of his public persona

Joe Lycett has opened up about the assumptions people make about his sexuality, saying many were surprised when he became a father because they viewed him as "the gay man".

The comedian and presenter made the comments during an appearance on Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast, where the pair discussed identity, public perception and the challenges of working out who you are while in the public eye.

Cotton, 44, reflected on the end of her time at BBC Radio 1, admitting she had become a "very beige version" of herself because she was "so terrified" that people disliked her.

Lycett, 38, said he had also found himself questioning his sense of identity, particularly before taking paternity leave in 2024.

Discussing the difference between his private self and his public image, the Taskmaster star said many people had incorrectly assumed he was gay.

"Lots of people were surprised when I had a child with a woman, because they were like: 'But you're the gay man'," he said.

"And I've never said that I'm gay because I've never been gay. But because I'm camp and I do innuendo and all those sorts of things, people have this idea of what that is."

Lycett said the reaction prompted a period of self-reflection, during which he questioned whether his stage persona had become disconnected from who he really was.

The comedian welcomed his first child in October 2024 with his partner, whom he publicly refers to by the pseudonym "Denise". He had not previously announced the pregnancy, leading some fans to wonder whether the baby announcement was another of his elaborate practical jokes.

Lycett has become known for headline-grabbing stunts throughout his career, including a widely publicised protest against David Beckham's role as an ambassador for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, in which he appeared to shred £10,000 before later revealing the money had not actually been destroyed.

Following the birth of his son, Lycett used social media to remind followers that he identifies as pansexual, albeit in his trademark tongue-in-cheek style.

Jokingly explaining pansexuality, he wrote that it was "nothing to do with gender or any of that woke stuff" and was instead linked to mating rituals involving smells such as blueberry-flavoured disposable vapes, unsweetened soya milk and coins.

The TV star has spoken openly about his sexuality before. In an interview with drag performer Bimini, Lycett said there was a brief period when he thought he was gay because he was attracted to men, before realising the label did not fully describe him.

He said he sometimes used the term bisexual as a shorthand because people understood it more easily, but added that pansexual was the most accurate description of his identity.

"I think the most accurate way of describing myself is pansexual, in that I'm not attracted to people just because of their gender," he said.

During the podcast, both Lycett and Cotton agreed they were still figuring out aspects of their identities, with Cotton suggesting that continuing to question who you are was "maybe quite healthy".