Rylan Clark broke into an impassioned rant about immigration on Wednesday’s This Morning, leaving ITV viewers split down the middle.
The presenter, made famous after appearing on The X Factor in 2012, took viewers by surprise with his take on the subject, with many applauding him.
When discussing the topic of immigration and small boats with guests, Mr Clark began to share his own opinions, stating: “To be honest, this is a major worry now.”
He continued: “Taking politics out of this, let’s just look at the country too. This country is built on immigration, legal immigration, a lot of nurses and doctors have come over here from other countries.
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“They’re living a great life. They’re paying into this tax system, they’re helping this country thrive.
“I find it absolutely insane that all these people – one, are risking their lives coming across the channel like they are and two, when they get here, it does seem – and I think this is why a lot of Labour voters are now sitting there going, ‘there’s something wrong here,’ – [are told] ‘here’s the hotel, here’s the phones, here’s your iPad, here’s three meals a day, have a lovely time.’
“And then there’s people that have lived here all their lives, they are struggling, they’re homeless.
“Let’s not even discuss how we’re going to get around all of this. This isn’t me getting on my soapbox, let’s be honest everyone is going to have an opinion about it.
“I believe there is something major that needs to be done. The money that it’s costing us, the amount of people in our country, we have no idea who they are, what they’re doing, what they’re capable of.”
The 36-year-old went on: “We see what some of them are doing.
“How come, if I turn up as a British citizen, and I’ve left my passport in Spain, I have got to stand at the airport and won’t be let in. But if I arrive on the boat in Calais…”
As the conversation continued with others sharing their thoughts, many tuned into the show responded to the presenter’s unexpected rant, and there was a clear divide.
Many applauded Mr Clark, with one writing on X: “#thismorning good on you Rylan! Speaking the absolute truth.”
“Rylan!! Go on, son! Finally, someone with a lick of sense on ITV. He’s representing the silent majority,” a second praised.
A third added: “Fair play to Rylan speaking his mind! Hope it doesn’t cost him his job #thismorning.”
“#ThisMorning – @Rylan is NAILING IT this morning! I am sick to death of these ILLEGALS ARRIVING ON BOATS ILLEGALLY to the UK,” another shared.
Someone else wrote: “Well said Rylan,” while another posted: “#thismorning got so much respect for Rylan now.”
On the other hand, others questioned the presenter’s stance on the subject.
“I enjoy Rylan’s BBC Radio 2 show on a Saturday and he comes across as a decent bloke in most respects, but I’d long had suspicions from some of the accounts he follows on this site that he batted for Team Farage and had hidden sympathies with right-wing populism. #ThisMorning,” one commented.
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Another argued: “You can’t say ‘taking politics out of this’ then spout a load of right wing nonsense. Didn’t you once work in Ibiza? You were an immigrant mate. FFS.”
“One only has to have seen Rylan on Gogglebox and see how he treats his mother to known he’s an ignorant, nasty piece of work. This morning, on #ThisMorning, he’s proved it,” another wrote. (sic)