Jameela Jamil sparks fierce backlash after branding Britons ‘the most evil people’ on the planet
The actor and former BBC Radio 1 presenter has drawn criticism after comparing Britain to Marvel villain Thanos during a podcast discussion about her move to the US and her time on The Good Place.
Jameela Jamil has prompted a wave of criticism after describing British people as “the most evil people in history”.
The actress and broadcaster, 40, compared Britain to the Marvel villain Thanos while reflecting on her move from London to the United States and her experiences playing Tahani Al-Jamil in The Good Place.
Jameela made the remarks on an episode of Jameela Jamil: UNFILTERED alongside television personalities Blakely Thornton and Justin.
The former BBC Radio 1 presenter was discussing her portrayal of Tahani Al-Jamil in NBC’s The Good Place, the critically acclaimed comedy created by Michael Schur and starring Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper, Jameela and Manny Jacinto.
Reflecting on her role in The Good Place, Jameela said: “I'm so lucky to have been part of that show. It was so well-written, and Megan Amram, who is one of the lead writers on that show, just wrote the shit out of Tahini, so together we all crafted her.
“But I just had to make her a bit more of a b**** – they wanted her to be very sweet. Americans think British people are so sweet, which is so crazy because British people are truly the most evil people in history. They are Thanos. Britain is Thanos. They owe 43 trillion to India. We colonise the world.”
Later in the conversation, Jameela was asked about relocating to the US after leaving London to pursue an acting career.
She added: “I mean, I lived here for 10 years, so I'm fairly, you know, acclimatised. I got here a year before Donald Trump first became president. So I’ve seen this country go through, it's like ebbs and flows. I was here for the pandemic. So this definitely feels like a scarier time than ever.
“Generally, I feel emotionally perhaps. And also like Britain is f*****. Yeah, it doesn’t feel as though you know, I’m going back to some sort of literal race war happening right now. Brexit paved the way for American chaos. You know, they put the stone in the road.”
Clips of the interview circulated on social media, where a number of users criticised Jameela’s remarks.
One user wrote: “What an imbecillic nincompoop. This prep school princess owes her success to Britain, land of her birth. Everyone in this clip represents the very worst of vapid, pig ignorant youth culture PS: Citing the 43 trillion myth should bar this spoilt brat from ever giving an opinion.”
Another commented: “Jameela, you are more than welcome to renounce your British citizenship - perhaps sponsor a well-deserving individual from India who truly wants to be here and you can go live there. Everybody wins, right?”
A third wrote: “My gripe with Jameela is that she preaches. She seems to know more about everything than the rest of us. Eventually people who preach but build nothing and don’t empower families financially lose my respect. Thats where it matters in the end.”
Jameela, who first found prominence in the UK as a presenter before establishing an acting career in Los Angeles, has frequently attracted headlines in recent years for outspoken interventions on politics, body image and social justice.
