Lorraine Kelly repeatedly misgendered Sam Smith while discussing the singer’s look for the Barbie premiere.
Hosting her ITV daytime show Lorraine on Thursday (13 July), Kelly talked to guest Vogue Williams about the pink carpet hits and misses from Wednesday night’s (12 July) European premiere for Greta Gerwig’s movie.
While the majority of the guests opted for Barbie-inspired all-pink outfits, Smith – who has written a song titled “Man I Am” from the perspective of Ken for the Barbie soundtrack – went for a far more casual look.
Smith, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, wore an oversized navy sweatshirt with the words “16 XL” emblazoned on the front and baggy jeans to the London event.
Discussing the outfit on Lorraine, Williams joked that Smith looked like they were dressed for an airport rather than a red carpet event.
However, while Williams referred to Smith using they/them pronouns, Kelly referred to the singer repeatedly as “he” and “him”.
“It’s a bit big for him,” Smith said. “If he was my son, I’d be saying, ‘Son, that’s too big for you’... He’s going to stand out. He knows what he’s doing, does that fella.”
On Twitter, viewers branded the moment “awkward” and pointed out that Williams had looked uncomfortable during the segment.
“I guess Lorraine didn’t get the memo about Sam Smith and their chosen pronouns, awkward,” one commenter wrote.
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“Not Lorraine misgendering Sam Smith over and over!!” another wrote. “She’s normally pretty good with this stuff. Vogue looked visibly uncomfortable!!! And she seemed to be emphasising THEY too for Lorraine to pick up on it but it didn’t work!! I’m sure she’ll be upset she got it wrong.”
Another commenter tweeted Kelly: “@lorraine I’m not sure if you are aware but Sam Smith uses the pronouns They/Them.”
“@lorraine consistently misgendering Sam Smith…” one tweet read.
“@reallorraine VERY lazy journalism not addressing Sam Smith with they/them pronouns… come on - seriously!!” another viewer wrote.
In response to one critic on Twitter, Kelly insisted that her wording had been unintentional, writing: “Fair comment. Not in the least intentional but will take on board – thanks for bringing to my attention.”
Smith’s look on the red carpet— (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
The Independent has contacted Smith’s representatives, as well as ITV, for comment.
In 2019, Smith came out as non-binary and gender-queer, saying that they would be using they/them pronouns going forward.
“Today is a good day so here goes,” they shared on Twitter. “I’ve decided I am changing my pronouns to THEY/THEM. After a lifetime of being at war with my gender I’ve decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out…”
However, Smith said in 2022 that they understood people were “learning” when it came to pronouns, adding that “mistakes happen”.
“I just want to create a safe space for everyone. But also, we’re all learning together,” they told Zane Lowe.
“The pronoun thing is interesting, because mistakes happen. Even me, I make mistakes quite a lot, and it’s an uncomfortable feeling making a mistake.”
“Editing yourself is great, but I think it’s really good for people to see you mess up… and then correct yourself,” Smith continued. “We need to lean into the uncomfortable feeling of being wrong sometimes, because it’s OK… We’re all in it together.”
