Katherine Ryan has revealed that rape is the one subject she refuses to joke about at her stand-up shows for fear of ‘triggering’ audience members who may be survivors.
The 38-year-old outspoken comedian admitted she regrets some jokes she’s made in the past, notably those regarding sexual assault.
In one comedy special, she began by asking each member of the front row whether they had raped anyone.
However, Katherine has now stated she ‘wouldn’t do that today’ as it ‘can be very triggering for other people in the audience to hear something like that’.
Speaking to The Guardian, she continued: ‘At the time, I thought that it was a good way of demonstrating that if you haven’t raped anyone, then it’s a ridiculous question. But for Bill Cosby at the time, you weren’t able to ask him that because obviously, he had.
‘I don’t think I’d even use the word rape now in a crowd setting. I like being provocative. But if that’s a triggering word for people in the audience who’ve been survivors of abuse, I wouldn’t want to use it.’
Katherine went on to address cancel culture within the comedy scene and said she tries to avoid being ‘cancelled’ by ‘articulating [herself] more thoughtfully’.
‘Because if I didn’t, it might be hurtful to people,’ she said, adding: ‘And when that’s explained to you we evolve as a society. I feel like “cancel culture” has become about hurting people. It’s not even to make things better.’
The mum-of-two revealed that her eldest child, daughter Violet, and her friends are so worried about being cancelled on TikTok that they ‘point the finger first’.
Katherine recently found herself at the centre of controversy after she posted a photo of Violet which many of her followers said looked as though the youngster had black eyes.
However, she didn’t and the Canadian comic admitted she ‘immediately regretted’ posting the picture.
Violet is the TV star’s daughter from a previous relationship while she is also mother to a five-month-old son.
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