Noel Gallagher misgenders Sam Smith, calls them a “f***ing “idiot
Noel Gallagher has criticised non-binary pop singer Sam Smith. The former Oasis guitarist and songwriter was discussing the state of contemporary pop music during a guest appearance on the dutch radio station Kink. “Music has become quite fractured and chart music is dominated by pop,” he began. “Pop music is alright if the pop stars are cool. Sadly the stars of today are fucking idiots.”
The radio host then pushed Gallagher to name some of the most “uncool” pop stars. “Sam Smith,” he replied. The 30-year-old uses they-them pronouns, but Gallagher wound up misgendering the singer. “Look at him!” he exclaimed.
Sir Bob Geldof has also been criticised for misgendering Smith multiple times during his recent interview on ITV’s This Morning. The former Boomtown Rats singer and Live Aid organiser was invited on to the breakfast program to discuss the upcoming 40th anniversary of Band Aid.
Recalling Smith’s performance on the revisited 2014 version of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’, Geldof said: “Sam Smith, I remember him at the microphone had his eyes closed, and he was singing away to the song, and I said ‘Sam, they’re not the words’. He goes, ‘oh yeah, sorry’. Because we had re-written the words for I think the Ebola crisis in west Africa”.
Geldof continued: “And he says ‘sorry’, so off he goes. He closes his eyes again and he starts singing the original words. I said ‘Sam’, and he goes ‘oh yes, sorry, every year in school I have to sing this song.'” Sir Bob subsequently came under fire, with one viewer taking to Twitter to write: “He’s on national TV and speaking about Sam Smith. You’d think someone would brief him on Sam’s gender identity or at least correct him. Painful watch.”
Smith came out as gender non-binary in 2019. Discussing the decision in an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, they said: “In my personal life, there’s not one negative. I feel lovable. I feel comfortable in my skin, but I wear what I want to wear. Since changing my pronouns, it felt like a coming home … It is who I am, and it’s who I’ve always been.”
Smith noted that they’re “being abused in the street verbally” more than ever. “So that was the hardest part, I think,” they said, “was being at home in the UK and having people shouting at me in the street. Someone spat at me in the street. It’s crazy.”
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