Sinéad O’Connor will "never do" Woman's Hour again after “misogynistic” BBC interview

Sinéad O’Connor plans to boycott BBC Woman’s Hour after an “offensive and misogynistic” interview on Tuesday morning (June 1st).

The singer was speaking to Emma Barnett, the host of Woman’s Hour, about her new memoir Rememberings. The presenter mentioned how The Telegraph's Neil McCormick referred to O’Connor as “the crazy lady in pop’s attic” after reading the memoirs. Barnett asked O'Connor if she thought a male artist would be judged in the same manner.

“I think it’s a bit extreme to make the Jane Eyre comparison, I don’t think I’ve ever been perceived as ‘the crazy lady in pop’s attic’ as represented in Jane Eyre,” said the Irish pop-star.

“It’s not like I’m trying to attack people with knives or trying to strangle people while I’m walking around in my nightdress,” she added.

O'Connor also addressed how the British media has portrayed her in the past. “The British press like to make me out to be mental, they always have done. I don’t know if it’s because I’m Irish or what, but to compare me to the mad wife in Jane Eyre is abusive.”

The singer spoke about her mental health struggles and referred to it as “having two broken legs, but everyone expects you to walk normal”.

“If you show symptoms and you don’t walk normal, people are going to knock you over,” she said.

The 54-year old mother of four said she will never appear on the show again, after she was subject to “one invalidating question or statement after another."

O’Connor later addressed the interview on her Twitter account. “Actually found the interview with @Emmabarnett extremely offensive and even misogynistic. One abusive and invalidating question or statement after another: ‘madwoman in the attic’. At that point I should have ended it. I will absolutely never do Women’s hour again,” she tweeted.

Actually found the interview with @Emmabarnett extremely offensive and even misogynistic. One abusive and invalidating question or statement after another: "madwoman in the attic" At that point I should have ended it. I will absolutely never do Women’s hour again.

— Sinead O'Connor (Shuhada Sadaqat) (@MagdaDavitt77) June 1, 2021

A BBC spokesperson addressed O’Connor’s reaction to the interview. “During an interview about her new book, Sinead O’Connor was talking about her mental health and was asked what she made of a comment by a music critic reviewing her book in recent days,” they said.

Elsewhere in the interview, O’Connor made a controversial comment about Jamaican men, comparing them to herself as she has been married four times.

“I’m kind of like a Jamaican father, fathers day is a revolving door in my house,” she said.

“Nobody bats an eyelid when Jamaican fellas have kids with fucking – sorry didn’t mean to say that – they have kids with tons of people and no one bats an eyelid.”

The singer addressed this comment on Twitter after calling out the “offensive and misogynistic” interview. “Also, apologies if I accidentally offended Jamaican men. I was referring to specific friends of mine in the music business. Jamaican people are my favourite people on this earth and Jamaican male musicians my biggest inspiration,” she said.

Also, apologies if I accidentally offended Jamaican men. I was referring to specific friends of mine in the music business. Jamaican people are my favourite people on this earth and Jamaican male musicians my biggest inspiration. https://t.co/4S9cT9X1An

— Sinead O'Connor (Shuhada Sadaqat) (@MagdaDavitt77) June 1, 2021

The singer's memoir went on sale yesterday, and is number 2 on Amazon's list of best sellers.