Jack Whitehall has returned to host the BRIT Awards tonight but the comedian has been slammed for a joke about Diddy that he made during the show

Jack Whitehall has faced a backlash for a controversial joke about P Diddy while hosting the BRIT Awards.

The comedian took the reins at London’s O2 Arena tonight, with the ceremony being broadcast live on ITV.

During his presentation, following JADE’s performance, Whitehall made a quip regarding Diddy’s ‘white party’ that left audiences appalled.

Social media saw reactions such as: “Jack Whitehall making a Diddy joke was so tasteless and tone deaf. #BRITs2025,” and “Mentioning Diddy after the whole, very blatant, message of JADEs performance ? ? ? Get this man off my screen #brits2025.”

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Further critiques came with comments like: “jack u were funny up until the diddy joke …nobody laughed #BRITs2025,” and calls for change with, “Diddy joke? Stop booking Jack Whitehall for things PLEASE it’s not 2013 anymore #BRITs2025.”

Another tweet expressed outrage: “Jack Whitehall how dare you mention Diddy in the same sentence as Jade #BRITs2025 #BRITs.”

Marking his fifth time hosting the event, and first in four years, Whitehall spoke on the tightrope walk of keeping his edgy humour in the final cut, saying: “We have this process where we spend four months writing this script and crafting it all and [in the rehearsal] there’s this moment where we’re finalising it, picking the right jokes and slotting it all into place.”

Jack shared his meticulous approach to hosting the event: “Then for the dress rehearsals, I do a dummy script so no one can complain about what I’m saying about their acts.

“Then on the night, I make sure there are a few surprises for the acts, the record labels and ITV. I like to keep everyone on their toes.”

He expressed his excitement about seeing certain performers take the stage and spilled some rehearsal secrets.

“I really love Sam Fender’s album – I listened to it recently, so I’m looking forward to seeing him live. And Jade – she’s going to give a pretty spectacular performance, with lots of stagecraft, so that will be a very memorable performance,” he said.

Discussing his own backstage requests, Jack revealed: “My rider is exactly the same as when I was 20 – so it’s just filled with Diet Cokes.

“But I recently was on tour with my dad and his rider is insane – like three Laurent Perrier champagne because he says he might have to entertain friends… but he only has like one friend. Mine’s far more tame.”