Katherine Ryan insists Slowthai ‘didn’t make me uncomfortable’ with bizarre NME Awards display

The comedian has addressed Wednesday night's headline-grabbing incident 
Katherine Ryan and Slowthai on stage at the NME Awards
Dave Benett
Rachel McGrath13 February 2020
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Katherine Ryan has responded to criticism of Slowthai’s behaviour towards her at the NME Awards and insisted the rapper did not make her feel “uncomfortable.”

In footage that emerged on social media during Wednesday night’s ceremony, 25-year-old Slowthai (real name Tyron Kaymone Frampton) could be seen calling Ryan, 36, “baby girl” and making a series of suggestive remarks.

The incident immediately drew criticism from fans online with many calling the rapper’s behaviour “misogynistic” and claiming Ryan looked "uncomfortable." Slowthai today apologised for his behaviour.

However, the comedian has insisted this wasn’t the case by responding to a tweet that read: “also katherine ryan using sarcasm to mask her discomfort doesn’t excuse what slowthai did.” [sic]

Slowthai at the NME Awards 2020 - In pictures

1/13

Quoting the post, Ryan replied: “He didn’t make me uncomfortable. This is why we need women in positions of power.

"I knew he had lost from the moment he opened his mouth like any heckler coming up against a COMIC - not a woman - a COMIC.

“I was operating 2/10. What a sweet boy. I defused it. Tonight was fun!”

Approaching Ryan on stage at Brixton Academy Slowthai had asked her to “smell my cologne,” adding: “Smells good, doesn’t it?”

Ryan’s co-host Julie Adenuga interjected: “What is happening?” before the duo’s bizarre exchange continued.

With his arm wrapped around Ryan, Slowthai said: “She wants me to tend to her flowers.”

Katherine Ryan and Slowthai on stage at the NME Awards
Dave Benett

“You are the hottest guy I’ve ever seen,” the comedian hit back, prompting Slowthai to reply: “I know, so stop playing with me.”

Later in the evening, Slowthai clashed with a fan in the audience who called out his behaviour while he was accepting the Hero of the Year Award.

The furious rapper responded by telling his critic: "Thank you for ruining my speech," before tossing his microphone at him.

After the man threw the mic straight back, Slowthai threw a glass into the audience and jumped off stage. After a brief tussle, he was retrieved by security.

Standard Online has contacted Slowthai’s representative for further comment.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in