Hugh Laurie saddens fans with Sophie Cunningham support in trans sports row
Hugh Laurie (Getty Images)
Hugh Laurie disappointed fans this week when he shared that he supports WNBA player Sophie Cunningham after she spoke out against trans inclusion in sports.
The House and The Night Manager actor made his thoughts known while replying to an X post by Graham Linehan that was originally shared on 9 August.
“Firstly, f*** off; secondly no, I don’t believe men should compete against women. I thought I’d made that pretty clear. If you’d looked. But obviously you must get onto your next…” Laurie wrote. Linehan’s original post has since been deleted, and its content is unknown.
Linehan then quoted the Laurie’s post, adding: “Why ‘f*** off’ then? Just say that you support Sophie Cunningham in her fight for fair sports and stop trying to be arch.”
“You started it,” Laurie replied. “‘Cowardly’ to ‘f*** off’ is the going rate of exchange around here. And yes, I support Sophie Cunningham. And you, some of the time.”
Fans were disappointed in the replies, with one saying: “You can’t spell Hugh without ugh. How pathetic.”
Another said: “Oh. It was going so well.” A third added: “How dismaying. And I thought you were a nice guy too. Oh well.”
Sophie Cunningham made headlines recently when she shared her controversial thoughts surrounding trans inclusion in women’s sports.
In a series of recent comments, Cunningham declared she wants to “protect women’s sports”. The topic has been the centre of debate with President Donald Trump’s continued effort to block trans women and girls from female sports teams.
In a recent wide-ranging interview with ESPN, Cunningham shared that she feels qualified to speak on the topic of trans athletes as she’s a professional in the world of sports.
The 29-year-old plays in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a guard for the team Indiana Fever, nicknamed “MAGA Barbie”.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” she told the outlet. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest.”
She continued: “I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
The next day, speaking to reporters ahead of a game against Connecticut Sun, Cunningham addressed her ESPN comments.
“I think it’s kind of common sense. I think I’ll always believe in that,” she said. “I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category. And so I’ll stand on what I said, and I’ll always believe that.”
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