Diversity's Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely respond to "horrible" Britain's Got Talent performance comments
Watch: The ‘Black Lives Matter’ Diversity performance that received 2,966
Britain's Got Talent stars Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely have spoken about the reaction to their dance troupe Diversity's performance on Saturday (September 5).
The winners performed a powerful routine that touched on the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
As of yesterday (September 8), Ofcom initially confirmed to Digital Spy that it received 1,121 complaints in relation to the show, a number that later rose to 2,966. Most of the complaints related to Diversity's time on stage, but not all of them did.
Speaking on their KISS FM breakfast show this morning, Jordan and Perri talked about the performance, with the former becoming emotional as he talked about the response.
"On Saturday we performed with Diversity on Britain's Got Talent, and our performance covered the events of this year and the important messages that need to be spoken about," Perri stated.
"It's something that is super close to our hearts."
Jordan added: "We won Britain's Got Talent 11 years ago and never ever, to anything we've done, (have we) had a response like this. Normally it's love, and of course you get some critiques, but normally it's focused on the dance.
"This one, it was different. Like (Perri) said it was really important, it was special to us and you know we're all about positivity and love and we got so much positivity and love back from this one but we also got bombarded with messages and articles.
"Horrible stuff about us, about our families, about how even now Diversity not diverse enough because there's only five white people in it.
"I can't speak for anyone else it's sad, it's sad, genuinely.
"I feel really anxious and worried saying something like Black Lives Matter when that's all we want man, love and positivity.
A break from being silly on #KISSBreakfast for something important.
Thank you for sharing this moment with us @Jordan_Banjo & @perrikiely ❤️ pic.twitter.com/qIFnuSxBXT— KISS FM UK (@KissFMUK) September 9, 2020
"No one's saying only Black lives matter. But as a son and as a dad, I look at [Perri] and I just... it's all positivity and love, let's keep it moving."
Jordan's brother and Diversity co-star Ashley Banjo previously addressed the response on Twitter on Sunday (September 6).
"So much to say... But I’ll Just let the performance talk. Thousands of messages of Love and support - Thank you," he tweeted.
"For the thousands of messages of hate and ignorance - Thank you. You highlight exactly what needs to change. Sending nothing but love to you all."
The Britain's Got Talent semi-finals air on Saturday evenings on ITV.
For more information on how you can support Black Lives Matter, please visit its official website or donate here. Readers can also donate to the UK anti-discrimination group Stand Up To Racism, and the Unite Families & Friends Campaign, which supports those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody.
Digital Spy has launched its first-ever digital magazine with exclusive features, interviews, and videos. Access this edition with a 1-month free trial, only on Apple News+.
Interested in Digital Spy's weekly newsletter? Sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox.
You Might Also Like
