JOE Lycett, one of the brightest starts in British comedy, has joked in the past that he wouldn’t be ready for fatherhood for “three to four hundred years”.
But in the autumn of 2024 reports emerged that not only does he have a long-term secret girlfriend, he also has a baby.
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Who is Joe Lycett?
Comedian Joe Lycett was born in Birmingham on July 5, 1988.
Having studied drama and English at the University of Manchester, he was named the 2009 Chortle Student Comedian of the Year and was a finalist in the 2011 BBC New Comedy Awards.
In addition, Joe was nominated in 2012 for best newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards.
Who is Joe Lycett’s girlfriend and do they have kids?
Until October 2024, the comedian had been fairly tight-lipped about his love life.
But in the same week during the autumn, reports emerged that not only does Joe have a long-term secret girlfriend, he has also become a father for the first time.
On October 25, 2024, the 36-year-old shared the news with his fans in a roundabout post, thanking Birmingham women’s hospital.
The comedian wrote: “An appreciation post from me for the extraordinary @bham_womens hospital.
“My first encounter with them was years ago when they looked after a pal of mine through surgery, and then most recently when they masterfully welcomed a little boy into the world, who happens to be my son.
“The care and compassion his mum and he received was exceptional; from the antenatal classes, incredible midwives, consultants, doctors, nurses and the ongoing care in the community. We also loved their baked potatoes.
“Birmingham is so lucky to have them and I will be forever grateful for everything they’ve done.”
He added: “I am LOVING being a dad but sadly I think this now means I can’t get out of going on Rob and Josh’s f**king podcast.
“We will not be taking any press requests about this as we have already sold the rights to the first family picture to Autotrader.”
Just days earlier, Joe gave fans a rare insight into his love life and revealed he used a fake name for his girlfriend to keep her private.
Speaking on Bimini Bon-Boulash’s podcast The Pieces, he revealed: “So I’ve got Winston the cat, and my partner Denise.
“And, um, she’s not called Denise, but I don’t talk about her, because she has a job that she can’t be in the public eye.
As I’ve got older I’ve realised that sexuality is this slightly intangible thing
Joe Lycett
“I call her Denise because she hates the name Denise, so, uh, I live with Denise.”
What has Joe Lycett said on his sexuality?
Joe is openly pansexual — which is the sexual and emotional attraction towards people regardless of sex or gender.
He often references his sexuality during his stand-up routines.
As he explained in an interview with Unicorn: “The pan thing… to me it’s an intellectual way of thinking about sexuality. I do not expect to see it on any forms or whatever.
“It’d be nice to use it more than I do. But it’s not something that I get that fussed about. Pan articulates the beauty of how complex the thing is.
“Someone described themselves as ‘spontaneous-sexual.’ I thought that was quite interesting. It moves with the times and with your moods and so many other things.
“Bi didn’t feel quite right, so when I heard the word pan — how that just means ‘all’ — I thought yeah, fair enough. That sounds a bit more correct.
He added: “As I’ve got older I’ve realised that sexuality is this slightly intangible thing.
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“Like a lot of people, I would ideally like to get to a point where nobody gives a shit either way. But unfortunately being anything but straight in some places is a death sentence.
“So, whilst that remains the case, people who have similar experiences of sexuality and are persecuted for it, need to help one another out and need to speak when injustices are happening.
“But in an ideal world there would just be none of it. There would just be consent. And not hurting people.”
And on his show Late Night Lycett in April 2024, Joe said: “A lot has changed since the last series, I’ve got some news which is that I have a girlfriend.
“I’ve talked about being bisexual for years but people presume I’m homosexual based on my entire personality… yes I’ve got a girlfriend and people have been very nice about it.”
What TV shows has Joe Lycett been in?
Joe has appeared on multiple panel shows including 8 Out of 10 Cats, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and QI, alongside his stand-up work.
He’s also acted as the narrator for reality show Ibiza Weekender and in 2019 the star was picked up for his own TV show focusing on consumer rights — Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back.
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In 2019, Joe took over hosting The Great British Sewing Bee from Claudia Winkelmann, but has since left the role.
The comedian also appeared on Who Do You Think You Are? in 2021 to discover his roots.
And since 2023 Joe has hosted his own talk show called Late Night Lycett.
Why did Joe Lycett call himself Hugo Boss?
In 2020, Joe legally changed his name to Hugo Boss in protest of the German fashion company’s aggressive trademark enforcement practices.
He made this bold move after learning that Hugo Boss had sent cease and desist letters to small businesses and charities using the word “Boss” in their names, including a small brewery in Swansea called Boss Brewing.
On March 1, 2020, Lycett announced on X/Twitter: “It’s clear that @HUGOBOSS HATES people using their name. Unfortunately for them this week I legally changed my name by deed poll and I am now officially known as Hugo Boss”.
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He explained his motivation to the BBC‘s Victoria Derbyshire: “I think it’s a massive company taking on a little company, and it’s not fair. Nobody’s going to confuse a beer with Hugo Boss”.
The name change was part of Lycett’s consumer rights series Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back.
His aim was to highlight the issue and pressure Hugo Boss to stop their aggressive practices.
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Joe added: “I would like them to stop doing this because no one’s confusing these two things.
“It’s been very expensive [for Boss Brewing], and I would like them to give them their money back and also promise to stop – and an apology would be nice”.
When is Late Night Lycett on and where can I watch it?
The show began in 2023, celebrating Birmingham’s diversity as Joe was joined by local heroes, LGBTQ+ icons and guests from the worlds of comedy, TV, film and music.
In the first series guests including Dame Joan Collins, Richard E Grant and David Harewood joined Joe in Digbeth.
Meanwhile, celebs including EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy (Sonia Fowler) and ‘H’ from Steps ran riot in Joe’s local corner shop.
The nation also met controversial straight-talking newsreader Richard Yewtree whilst Joe gave away his own car as a prize.
Joe says: “The first series of Late Night Lycett was the most fun I’ve ever had making TV.
“From Paul Chuckle destroying my local corner shop to Katherine Ryan being trapped on a floating barge, the whole thing feels like a crazed fever dream.
“I can’t wait to go bigger and wilder in series two.”
The latest series of Late Night Lycett launched on April 12 and ran for six weeks, live every Friday night at 10pm on Channel 4.
