Ironically, the scandal erupted on International Women's Day.
Over the weekend, Twitter practically exploded with righteous indignation over the case of comedienne Jenny Collier. Collier first took to social media to voice her disappointment over being dropped from a booking, because there were “too many women on the bill”. After she posted a screencap of the email on Twitter, comedy promoters Myrth Control immediately came under fire for the blatantly sexist move and Collier herself was flooded with support.
Collier was backed by the likes of Sarah Millican (pictured) and Gina Yashere.
Apparently, the promoter had let her know that she was no longer needed, because three of the five acts confirmed to perform at a comedy show – with four still to book - were women. In the wake of the scandal, Collier received support from fans, as well as fellow comics - Sarah Millican, Jason Manford and Gina Yashere all retweeted supportive comments.
The situation has been resolved now, with Mirth Control apologizing profusely. The promoters’ statement, quoted via The Independent, said “we apologise unreservedly for any offence caused” and that Ms Collier would be offered gig opportunities at other venues.
The tweet that started it all: This just happened. pic.twitter.com/Ap0IamzdR7
In a preemptive measure against further criticism, Mirth Control, which is the largest independent comedy booker in the UK, posted the following statement on the website: “We will not accept a relationship with any client who wishes to exclude women entirely from all bills, this is a consistent policy that has spanned many years. However this request was not to place any 'ban' on female comics only to temper the numbers in order to suit their clientele.”