Most of the Ofcom complaints are about alleged misogynistic behaviour by some of the male islanders.
Image source, ITV/Rex/ShutterstockOfcom has received 3,617 complaints about Love Island in a week, with the majority about alleged misogynistic behaviour by some of the male contestants.
It’s after the fallout from movie night, where the islanders watched footage of their partners being tempted by “bombshells” or being unfaithful.
Domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid recently said it had spoken to ITV about “misogynistic behaviour”.
ITV said it did not “condone trolling”.
Over the last few days Luca has accused his partner Gemma of “flirting” with Casa Amor “bombshell” Billy, despite her insisting she wasn’t interested in him in Sunday’s movie night episode.
Luca’s family released a statement on his Instagram in response to criticism, saying “when he watches it back, he will be embarrassed and deeply apologetic”.
There was also an argument between fan favourites Davide and Ekin-Su over footage of her in Casa.
Image source, ITV/Rex/Shutterstock
Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom said it was “assessing the complaints against our broadcasting rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate”.
It also received complaints about Sunday’s spin-off show Aftersun, with the majority relating to comments made about Ekin-Su and the treatment of ex-islander Jacques during his interview with host Laura Whitmore.
Ofcom said the complainants “were primarily concerned about his wellbeing, given his demeanour in the interview”.
Responding to the complaints, ITV said: “Laura is the presenter of the show, and part of that role is to pose questions to the panel and discuss events in the villa.
“We do not condone trolling against either our host or our islanders and any subsequent elevation of these comments.”
They said there were “various measures in place to ensure Jacques’s welfare was prioritised at all times” ahead of and during his appearance, including a full briefing with producers to “outline the show’s content and likely questioning”.
“Should an islander not wish to participate in the Aftersun recording, we would always respect that decision,” ITV said.
What were the complaints about?
- A total of 2,481 were made about Sunday’s movie night episode relating to alleged misogynistic behaviour by some of the male contestants
- An additional 427 complaints were made about Aftersun, which aired straight after the main programme
- Another 413 people complained about alleged bullying and misogynistic behaviour from some of the male contestants on Monday’s episode
- The episode on Friday last week prompted 167 complaints, the majority relating to footage of Ekin-Su and bombshell George during Casa Amor
- Some 129 complaints were also made about the 12 July episode, with the majority relating to former contestant Adam re-entering the villa and Jacques’s well-being in the lead up to and during his departure
This year’s Love Island has seen a big backlash from viewers over the way the male islanders are treating the women.
Another domestic abuse charity, Refuge, tweeted that “the misogyny and casual sexism witnessed on this series… is extremely concerning”.
“The double standards, gaslighting and coercive control being displayed by the men in the villa is hugely problematic,” it added.
In a previous statement to Radio 1 Newsbeat addressing those concerns, ITV said: “We cannot stress highly enough how seriously we treat the emotional well-being of all of our islanders.
“Welfare is always our greatest concern, and we have dedicated welfare producers and psychological support on hand at all times, who monitor and regularly speak to all of the islanders in private and off-camera.”
