Jack Whitehall took aim at the furore surrounding the Oasis tickets sale, as he marked his return to the annual Brit Awards.
The comedian starred in an opening skit for the 2025 ceremony that riffed on the hit Netflix show Squid Game, where he was asked to decide whether to host the ceremony once more.
Whitehall, 36, pondered his options, first asking whether Taylor Swift would be there, as that would help to sway him. He revealed himself as a Swiftie by pushing his suit sleeve back to show off his many friendship bracelets.
He then asked how much money he’d be paid, at which point one of the mysterious masked figures pointed to the giant ball of money hanging over their heads.
“Ooh, that’d probably just about cover the two Oasis tickets I bought off Ticketmaster,” Whitehall said.
The long-awaited Oasis reunion was marred somewhat by the uproar over ticket prices as they went on sale last year.
Fans sat in virtual queues for up to eight hours to secure tickets for Oasis’s long-awaited reunion tour – paying hundreds or even thousands of pounds to see brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher perform together onstage for the first time since 2009.
Later, fans who had managed to secure tickets were crushed as they were mistaken for bots by Ticketmaster, with emails informing them that their purchases had been cancelled.
Ticketmaster has advised anyone affected by cancellations to consult the “Oasis Refunds FAQ” page on its website: “For ticket purchases who believe they have had tickets refunded in error, refer to the email sent by the relevant agent when informed,” a spokesperson said.
Elsewhere during his opening run of jokes, Whitehall referenced Stormzy’s controversial McDonald’s collaboration and Charli XCX’s Brat Summer, while also branding Coldplay as “public school Nickelback”.
He also brought his parents, Michael and Hilary Whitehall, to the ceremony, who turned up on the red carpet emulating Kanye West and Bianca Censori’s controversial Grammys look.
Hilary appeared to be dressed in a similar oversized black coat to Censori, who notoriously removed it on the Grammys red carpet to reveal a completely sheer dress underneath.
“Do not take off that coat,” Jack Whitehall warned as the camera panned away from his parents, and the coat was flung in his face.
This year’s ceremony marked Whitehall’s fifth time as host, returning after initially stepping down from a four-year stint in 2021.
Charli XCX took an early award for Song of the Year for “Guess”, her collaboration with Billie Eilish. The British star appeared to make a dig at unnamed artists as she praised Eilish for jumping on the remix at short notice, while noting that “not every artist is spontaneous, despite claiming to be”.
See the full list of Brit Awards winners as they are announced here.
