After receiving taunts about the death of his former partner from a young fan, Matt Lucas has decided to leave Twitter.
Last week, the 37-year-old comedian informed his 565,000 followers on the platform that he would be quitting for good.
He stated: ‘I appreciate all the support on here over the past couple of years, but it’s time to shut down my Twitter account.’
This decision followed a tweet from a 16-year-old who joked about the death of his ex-partner, Kevin McGee, who was found hanged in his flat in 2009.
The couple had a civil partnership ceremony in 2006 before separating in 2008 and were together for six years.
Famous for his role in Little Britain, Lucas initially responded to the offending comments by stating, ‘shame on you.’
He went on to express: ‘I’m not joking. I think you should delete that tweet. It really upset me.’
On Twitter, the 16-year-old goes by the name ‘oOfuscoOo’ and is believed to reside in Northern Ireland.
Reports indicate that his account disappeared yesterday, likely due to the backlash over his actions.
Mr. Lucas expressed his disappointment, writing: ‘I’m disappointed that oOfuscoOo thinks jokes about the suicide of my former partner are funny.’
He joins the ranks of celebrities who have either quit or threatened to leave Twitter due to online comments directed at them.
Stephen Fry once declared his departure from the platform after being labeled ‘boring’ during an online dispute, though he later opted to stay.
Last May, golfer Lee Westwood mentioned he was seriously considering shutting down his Twitter account, mentioning: ‘It’s social media, not social slagging. It’s losing its meaning.’
Fans of Lucas reacted with anger towards the taunts, condemning the young writer for being ‘cruel and heartless’. Others labeled the ‘sick jokes’ as a form of ‘cyber-bullying’.
Some Twitter users, including former This Morning host Richard Madeley, have urged the comedian to rethink his decision, leading to the creation of a group titled #TwitterlovesyouMattLucas.
Madeley suggested: ‘If you get abusive tweets, you know the sender is inadequate, sexually incompetent, and has a jealousy complex. Tweet them that and then block ’em.’
It appears the teenager has extended an apology to Lucas, tweeting: ‘I never actually sent this to you. I only put it up as a joke for my friends to see. Sorry, Matt.’
by Debbie Dot
