British TV host Lorraine Kelly has been slammed by viewers after she referred to the non-binary singer Sam Smith with male pronouns.
On Thursday (July 13), the 63-year-old presenter was hosting her ITV daytime show, Lorraine, when she spoke to Vogue Williams about the celebrity outfits at the European premiere of the Barbie film.
While the majority of the guests sported all-pink outfits, the 31-year-old singer-songwriter - who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns - opted to go for a far more casual look.
Smith donned an oversized navy sweatshirt with the words "16 XL" emblazoned on the front and baggy jeans to the highly anticipated movie event.
Discussing the ensemble on the show, Williams quipped that the 'Unholy' hitmaker looked like they were dressed for an airport rather than a highly-publicized event.
However, while Williams referred to Smith using they/them pronouns, the host referred to the singer as "he" and "him" multiple times during the fashion segment.
"It’s a bit big for him," Kelly said, according to Daily Mail. "If he was my son, I’d be saying, 'Son, that’s too big for you,'" before adding: "He’s going to stand out. He knows what he’s doing, does that fella."
Many unimpressed viewers took to their social media to talk about the slip-up and voice their displeasure with the talk show host.
One user said: "Not Lorraine misgendering Sam Smith over and over!! She's normally pretty good with this stuff. Vogue looked visibly uncomfortable!!! And she seemed to be emphasizing 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 disappointed person remarked: "I guess Lorraine didn’t get the memo about Sam Smith and their chosen pronouns, awkward."
A third interjected: "Sam Smith being one of the most well-known non-binary people … #Lorraine using ‘he, his, son, man, fella’ - literally as many male pronouns as she could fit in in a 2 min segment. She knew exactly what she was doing!"
A fourth person said: "It's they/them for Sam Smith - Vogue knows. #Lorraine on the other hand couldn't give a s***!"
Amid the backlash, Kelly said that her wording had been unintentional and thanked viewers for making her aware of her misgendering Smith.
"Fair comment. Not in the least intentional but will take on board – thanks for bringing to my attention," she penned on Twitter.
Smith - who has written a song titled 'Man I Am' for the Barbie soundtrack - came out as non-binary in 2019 via a statement on Twitter.
"Today is a good day so here goes,” the 'Gloria' singer wrote. "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…"
Speaking about pronouns and misgendering to Zane Lowe last year, the award-winning singer said: "I just want to create a safe space for everyone. But also, we’re all learning together," as cited by The Independent.
"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," they added.
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