Laurence Fox facing fresh legal action over Olympic opening ceremony paedophile jibe

Drag queen Nicky Doll has filed a defamation complaint

Laurence Fox is facing another defamation lawsuit (PA Wire)

Laurence Fox is facing further legal action after he called drag performers taking part in the Olympic opening ceremony in Paris paedophiles.

French drag queen Nicky Doll launched legal action against the former actor turned right-wing activist over his widely-condemned social media posts.

Fox made the comments in response to one sketch in the ceremony which featured drag performers and was widely interpreted to be a parody of Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous The Last Supper painting – a detail denied behind the event organiser.

In response the former GB News presenter posted on X/Twitter: “No point in getting wound up when the child f****** want to wind you up. Just laugh at the deviant little pedos [sic]. Eternity is a b***h.”

Fox made the comments in response to one sketch in the ceremony which featured drag queens and was widely interpreted to be a parody of Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous The Last Supper painting – a detail denied behind the event organiser. (BBC)

Nicky Doll, whose real name is Karl Sanchez, vowed to sue Fox in the immediate aftermath of the abuse and has now confirmed legal action against him.

Nicky Doll shared a statement from law firm Anne-Siogue Laguens X/Twitter, which read: “Stop Homophobia’s lawyers have received numerous reports of incitement to hatred, insults, online harassment, threats and defamation.

“The firm was notified by Mr. Karl Sanchez, known as Nicky Doll, of a defamation complaint filed against Mr. Laurence Fox and other users of the social network X (Twitter).”

Nicky Doll, whose real name is Karl Sanchez, has launched a defamation complaint against Fox (PA Wire)

It added that Nicky Doll suffered an “unprecedented wave of animosity and ill will since her performance on the ‘Festivity’ table of the ceremony, going as far as death threats”.

“These messages go far beyond artistic criticism, and for some convey odious and defamatory amalgams, equating drag performances and pedophilia,” the statement said.

“These comparisons are serious and unacceptable. It is in this sense that justice has been taken, and that any publication or message equating Nicky Doll’s performance with encouragement of pedophile practices will be reported.”

In sharing the legal letter, the RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant wrote: “I will never again allow myself and other queer people to be defamed and demonized. If responding with love doesn’t work for some, then responding with justice should work.

“See you in court.”

The case is not dissimilar to one Fox lost earlier this year against British drag artist Crystal. The 46-year-old was ordered to pay £90,000 in damages to Crystal and former Stonewall trustee Simon Blake after referring to them as “paedophiles” in an exchange on X/Twitter.

In a ruling at the High Court on 29 January, Justice Collins Rice described Fox’s labelling of the pair as paedophiles in a social media row as “seriously harmful, defamatory and baseless”.

Nicky Doll referenced the legal defeat as she vowed to launch legal action, quoting Fox’s original post writing: ““Since you didn’t learn the first time around when you called my friend @crystalwillseeu a ‘pedo,’ I’m going to show you that you don’t get to write things like that about queer people for the fun and the misinformation of it and go away with it. See you in court, again, @LozzaFox!”

The Independent has contacted Laurence Fox for a comment.