Danny Jones is the most recent addition to the list of white male winners on the popular reality show, I'm A Celebrity. Fans of the show have expressed their disappointment with yet another white star taking home the crown. This past Sunday, McFly's Danny Jones, who is 38 years old, was named the king of the jungle, making him the 14th white man to win in the show's 22 year history. In fact, the show has never been won by a person of color. The closest was last year's winner, Myleene Klass, who is of mixed race with a Filipina mother and Austrian father, but she won on the South African version of the show.
Viewers took to social media to voice their disappointment with the lack of diversity in the final three contestants. Oti Mabuse, a star on Dancing On Ice, was voted out and fans were left with an all-white final. It is ultimately up to the public to vote for the winner of the show, with the celebrity receiving the least amount of votes being eliminated. The contestant with the most votes in the final is declared the winner.
One fan, @AAngels05, expressed their sadness at Oti's elimination and shared a photo of her, saying "I wanted this absolute gem to win and be the first Black winner of I'm A Celebrity." However, the show has had 14 white male winners, including Joe Swash, who won in 2008. Here is a full list of past winners:
2002 – Tony Blackburn
2003 – Phil Tufnell
2004 – Kerry Katona
2004 – Joe Pasquale
2005 – Carol Thatcher
2006 – Matt Willis
2007 – Christopher Biggins
2008 – Joe Swash
2009 – Gino D’Acampo
2010 – Stacey Solomon
2011 – Dougie Poynter
2012 – Charlie Brooks
2013 – Kian Egan
2014 – Carl Fogarty
2015 – Vicky Pattison
2016 – Scarlett Moffatt
2017 – Georgia Toffolo
2018 – Harry Redknapp
2019 – Jacqueline Jossa
2020 – Giovanna Fletcher
2021 – Danny Miller
2022 – Jill Scott
South Africa 2023 – Myleene Klass
2023 – Sam Thompson
2024 – Danny Jones
Many fans have pointed out the lack of diversity among the winners of the show. @melvinwpeters tweeted, "A black person has never won #ImACeleb. Great Britain still has a race issue." This lack of diversity is also seen in other reality shows, such as Love Island, which has been called out for its lack of Asian representation. Former star Priya Gopaldas has spoken out about this issue, saying "Asians make up the second biggest ethnic group in England and Wales and yet the Asian population is very rarely seen on the show."
In response to this criticism, ITV has launched a Diversity Commissioning Fund, which aims to increase diversity and representation within the company. They have set targets to have 20% people of color at all levels and 15% in senior positions. While these measures are a step in the right direction, there is still work to be done to ensure fair representation on shows like I'm A Celebrity.
The show is available to stream on ITVX. If you have a celebrity story, video, or pictures, you can contact the entertainment team at The Agency by emailing us, calling 020 3615 2145, or visiting our Submit Stuff page. We would love to hear from you.
