Adil Ray has come under fire from a number of Good Morning Britain fans for supposedly “condescending” and “belittling” comments to one of the show’s guests on Monday.
The presenter joined co-host Kate Garraway to speak with former The Only Way Is Essex star Joey Essex about the reality TV star’s foray into the world of boxing.
Things got off to a dramatic start when Essex arrived at the Good Morning Britain studio after he was presented with a grand entrance worthy of a boxing champion, complete with swinging doors and enthusiastic applause.
The 35-year-old former Towie star rushed over to embrace Garraway, but thick smoke had followed him through the doorway.
The studio quickly filled with the haze, leaving Ray unable to see Essex despite sitting just inches away from him.
“Fire!” Ray joked as the smoke engulfed the set. As the trio took their seats for the interview, things quickly turned uncomfortable when Ray proceeded to make a series of controversial remarks.
After Essex had described his upcoming opponent Numeiro as looking like a “baked bean”, Ray turned the insult on his guest.
“You look a bit like a baked bean to be honest, mate!” Ray laughed, leaving Essex visibly confused. “Do I?” the reality star responded.
Ray hastily tried to take it back, saying “No, no, I didn’t mean it! No, no, no, no. You look great, mate.”
The presenter also questioned Essex’s boxing preparation, interrupting when the former Towie star mentioned being ready two weeks ago.
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“Hang on a minute. You can’t just go out of Pure Gym straight into a boxing ring!” Ray interjected.
The tension peaked when Ray brought up money at the interview’s conclusion. He directly asked whether Essex would be earning £1 million for his boxing debut against the Portuguese social media personality.
“No comment,” Essex replied curtly, prompting Ray to press further: “It is then, isn’t it? It’s worth it.”
Throughout the awkward exchanges, Essex appeared increasingly uncomfortable with the line of questioning, something that didn’t go unnoticed by viewers at home.
Essex’s initial enthusiasm about the boxing match – where he’d spoken confidently about it being his “destiny” – seemed to fade as the interview progressed.
As a result, viewers took to social media in droves to express their dismay at the interview, with some labelling it a “car crash” among other complaints.
“Well, that was an awkward segment,” one X user complained. “Joey trying to be a Temu Tony Bellew, Adil trying to be a clown, Kate floundering in confusion, wondering if any of this interview is real.. #GMB.”
A second questioned: “How did Adil even get this spot? Terrible presenting, terrible interviewing, terrible jokes. #gmb.”
“#Gmb Joey Essex is p**sed off. Adil overstepped the mark that was uncomfortable interview!!!!!” a third weighed in.
Elsewhere, a fourth also spotted the tensions. “I’ve just watched the worst interview ever recorded on TV. Adil Ray trying to be funny and belittling Joey Essex. Cringe #gmb #goodmorningbritain,” they remarked.
A fifth echoed: “Adil could be next in the ring! Whatever you think of Joey Essex, he was treated with such a condescending attitude in that interview, it was embarrassing for @GMB.”
And another concurred: “It wasn’t the best interview. They looked like they struggled to talk about anything apart from baked beans.” (sic)