Laurence Fox Claims He Lost Roles in Succession And Disney Series Amid Libel Case
Laurence Fox arriving at the Royal Courts Of Justice, central London, for his libel trial. Mr Fox is being sued by former Stonewall trustee Simon Blake and drag artist Crystal, also known as Colin Seymour. Mr Fox is countersuing the pair along with actress Nicola Thorp. Picture date: Wednesday November 22, 2023. (Press Association via AP Images)
Ex-GB News host Laurence Fox claims he lost out on potential roles in the Emmy-awarded series ‘Succession’ and a high-profile Disney project as a result of being labelled a “racist”, in a revelation that emerged in the first day of his libel trial.
The actor-turned-politician claimed significant career setbacks as part of his defence argument as in a court battle with former Stonewall trustee Simon Blake, ex-Drag Race UK star Crystal, real name Colin Seymour, and actress Nicola Thorp over a contentious Twitter exchange.
The controversy began when Fox, in response to Sainsbury’s celebration of Black History Month in October 2020, called for a boycott of the supermarket.
This move led to him being labelled a racist by Blake, Seymour, and Thorp. The Reclaim Party founder, denying the accusations, is counter-suing the trio, asserted that their tweets have marred his reputation.
According to his legal counsel, Patrick Green KC, there’s “little doubt” that Fox’s reputation has “suffered very considerably.” Green emphasised that the allegations of racism would have been taken seriously by many in the industry, painting Fox as a “colour-blind liberal” opposed to racism and identity politics.
A pivotal moment in the trial was the presentation of a schedule of Fox’s professional opportunities from 2019 onwards, highlighting a drastic drop from 52 opportunities in 2019 to a mere four in both 2021 and 2022. This included lost queries for appearances on ITV’s The Masked Singer and Catchphrase, as well as a significant opportunity for a role in Succession and a Disney audition, speculated to be for the Obi-Wan series.
However, Lorna Skinner KC, representing those suing Fox, painted a different picture. She argued that Fox’s controversial social media presence, including a tweet juxtaposing pride flags in a swastika formation and another where he “blacked up” underscored his character. Skinner asserted these actions as evidence of his alleged racist stance, arguing that any damage to Fox’s reputation was self-inflicted.
The trial, presided over by Justice Collins Rice, is poised to conclude next week.
