‘Drag Race’ queen celebrates libel case win with iconic breakfast show interview

Crystal, a RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (S.1) alum, has won a libel case she brought against a well-known actor. He had baselessly and falsely labeled her a pedophile. Today, Crystal called the win, “incredibly liberating and satisfying.”

The actor in question is Laurence Fox, 45. He appeared in the movies Gosford Park and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. In the UK, he is best known for his long-running stint in the TV detective drama, Lewis.

However, in recent years he has become better known for his outspoken political views. He crusades against perceived wokeness and political correctness.

Here he is burning Pride flags last year.

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Just Laurence Fox spending Father’s Day drunk in his garden, burning Pride flags. Nothing to see here… pic.twitter.com/d1nMxeYevQ

— Truth Checkers (@truth_checkers) June 18, 2023

When Fox began posting more controversial content online, his acting work dried up. In 2020, he founded his own right-wing political party, Reclaim.

Black History Month

In 2020, Fox posted a tweet saying he would be boycotting grocery chain Sainsbury’s because of its support for Black History Month. The company said it would not tolerate racism in its stores and that if anyone had a problem with that, they should shop elsewhere.

Fox responded on X (formerly Twitter), “Dear @sainsburys. I won’t be shopping in your supermarket ever again whilst you promote racial segregation and discrimination.”

Crystal, real name Colin Seymour, and another LGBTQ+ campaigner, Simon Blake, who worked for advocacy organization Stonewall, responded online and called Fox “racist”.

A Twitter spat between them culminated in Fox blasting them, falsely, as pedophiles.

Blake and Crystal sued Fox for defamation. The case has slowly progressed to court in London. Yesterday, Fox learned that he’d lost the case.

Mrs. Justice Collins Rice said Mr. Fox’s term was “harmful, defamatory and baseless”.

Crystal told the court she experienced “overwhelming and distressing” abuse after Fox’s tweet. Blake, who is gay, said falsely accusing gay men of being child abusers is “a trope as old as the hills.”

Fox tried to argue that Seymour and Blake calling him “racist” had damaged his career. The judge refused to accept this. She declined to rule as to whether the claim was “substantially true” and suggested the accusation was unlikely to cause serious harm to Fox’s reputation given the state of his reputation in recent years.

Fox plans to appeal the decision. As it stands, he could face financial ruin.

“Incredibly relieved”

Crystal posted a message to X after the ruling saying, “The judgement in our defamation case with Laurence Fox was handed down today, and I am incredibly pleased to say that we won on ALL COUNTS (5-0). The judge found that Mr Fox defamed me (and Simon Blake) when he called us paedophiles, with a likelihood of causing serious repetitional harm.

“Furthermore, our tweets calling him a racist were found to be unlikely to cause any serious harm and therefore he was not defamed by us. I am incredibly relieved to have this outcome – a huge weight I’ve been carrying for over 3 years has just been lifted.”

This morning, Crystal appeared on Sky News and was interviewed by anchor Kay Burley. In full drag regalia, it made for a more unusual appearance on the morning news show.

Crystal re-shared a clip, captioning it, “Giving them Legally Blonde at 7AM #crystalwillsueyounow”

Giving them Legally Blonde at 7AM #crystalwillsueyounow https://t.co/ToJboqgzhO

— Crystal (@crystalwillseeu) January 30, 2024

Don’t call me a paedophile.

Drag artist Crystal wins libel case against Laurence Fox after a three year legal battle

Does Crystal have any sympathy for the troubled actor?#KayBurley PO pic.twitter.com/YZj3XkKBxV

— Kay Burley (@KayBurley) January 30, 2024

In the interview, Crystal calls the libel win, “incredibly liberating and satisfying after three long years.”

Burley asked Crystal if she had any sympathy for Fox. The performer replied saying she has sympathy for victims of racism and those falsely accused of being “groomers”.

“I have sympathy for people who have been targeted. There’s a huge swathe of the population that experience this nastiness.”

On X this morning, Fox again said he planned to appeal and expressed heaps of self-pity.

“I haven’t slept a wink … I feel utterly bereft and totally hopeless.”

Crystal again took him to task, saying “The judge found he harmed his own reputation much more than we did. Being falsely accused of racism COULD still be defamatory, just probably not if you spend all your time being a far-right edgelord.”

None of this is true. The judge found he harmed his own reputation much more than we did. Being falsely accused of racism COULD still be defamatory, just probably not if you spend all your time being a far-right edgelord.

Anyway, I thought you “won”? https://t.co/lOHGXVmX46

— Crystal (@crystalwillseeu) January 30, 2024

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