The controversial comedian known as Dapper Laughs has used his first public appearance since the axing of a second series of his ITV2 show to claim that he was laying the “character” to rest, while describing himself as “a victim of my own mistakes” and blaming the media for much of the recent storm surrounding him.

Daniel O’Reilly, who has been accused of condoning rape and sexual violence in his Dapper Laughs comedy routines, claimed that he had been “attempting to push the boundaries” but had got carried away.

“At the moment I am trying to hold back the emotion that is attached to what it has done to my life and what the media has done to my life in the last four days,” he said in an interview on BBC Newsnight, which was met with fresh criticism on social media from those who accused him of self-pity and failing to properly apologise.

“I did not realise that I was causing that much of a problem.”

A string of dates due to be played at top venues such as the Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London and the O2 Academy in Leeds have been pulled following outrage over content that derides women.

It follows questions being raised over the content of Dapper Laughs’ show after footage was made public from a gig played earlier last month which made a reference to raping women and which mentioned ITV2’s show.

During the performance at London Scala, O’Reilly said of a female audience member: “She’s gagging for a rape.”

Around 60,000 people signed a petition calling on Adam Crozier, the network’s chief executive, to pull the ITV2 show.

Although the big tour dates have been canned, according to a spokesman from the agency Coalition which says it acts as “live booking agent for Dapper Laughs”, the comedian is “still going ahead with club shows”. When asked which clubs the shows are on at, all he would say was that details are “available on the web”.



A quick trawl of bookings for the Dapper Laughs shows reveals that booking is still open for gigs in February at the Institute in Birmingham and the Ritz, Manchester.

A spokeswoman from Academy Music Group said that refunds would be available from venues for those who had bought tickets: “As a major UK venue operator we regularly host events of varying styles and content in music and comedy.

“In light of the cancellation of the second series of the Dapper Laughs ITV2 show and significant criticism, Dapper Laughs (Daniel O’Reilly) has himself apologised for any offence caused by his material, and we are aware that Dapper Laughs’ brand of comedy may not be to everyone’s taste.

“We are in discussions with the promoter of the tour, who books the venues for these live events, to carefully consider what content is suitable. It is our responsibility to seriously acknowledge any criticism and complaints received for the impact upon our venues and customers by sharing such information with all parties involved who entered into this tour in good faith, and are together proactively working towards a solution to address all comments and concerns.”

It is understood that the reason for the cancellation was not to do with sales for the events, but to do with the content.