It wasn’t funny. That should be the beginning and the end of this story, but it isn’t. Instead, it’s a story about how men are still “joking” about a woman reporting a rape, and other men still find it funny.
During a roast-style episode of the “Have a Word” podcast, Belfast comedian Vittorio Angelone made a remark about rape that used the name of OnlyFans creator Rebecca Goodwin as its punchline. Goodwin had reported a rape to police in July 2025 and had spoken publicly about it. She wasn’t involved in the episode and says she only learned of the remark when clips circulated on social media in recent days. It’s curious that the clips are going viral now, because the episode was recorded in fall 2025 and sat behind a paywall for a year. But whatever the reason for the release, Goodwin is having to face it.
“It will forever live with me that it was allowed for my name to be used as the punchline of a malicious ‘joke’ about such a serious issue,” Goodwin said. She added that she’s grateful she didn’t see it sooner. Hearing it just weeks after the assault, she said, would have found her in a very different mental state than she’s in now. She also made a point that cannot be ignored: nobody in that room, she says, had her back until she made a social media post about it.
That’s a huge part of the problem. A roast is a performance, but the people in the room were real, and so was the woman being used as a punchline. Other comedians who were part of the episode, including Freddy Quinne, have since apologized, but Goodwin says she doesn’t accept the apologies because they came a year after the joke and only after she spoke out and people began pushing back on these comedians.
Angelone has also apologized. In a statement, he said he “let my need for validation supersede my own standards and morals” and called that pathetic. He says he reached out to Goodwin directly. The apology is better than silence, but doesn’t feel as genuine because Angelone has a lot at stake. He is set to appear in his first major acting role in the BBC sitcom “Rewarding” this autumn, though the BBC says it is “actively considering” the concerns raised.
Then there’s Daniel Sloss. The Scottish comedian, 36, with 925,000 Instagram followers, posted a public apology after the episode drew backlash, saying he “failed” when he didn’t call out the remark in the moment. “I’ve spent years talking about the importance of calling out this kind of behavior, yet when it happened in front of me, I didn’t,” he wrote. “I recognize the immense hypocrisy in that, and I’m not going to make excuses for it.” He added that Goodwin “deserved better.”
What sets his apology apart from the other comedians is that Sloss has spent years talking about the importance of calling out exactly this kind of behavior. In fact, many women who were his fans specifically started following him because of his 2019 stand-up comedy special. In it, he takes a turn from comedy into a monologue about addressing sexual assault and rape culture. He explicitly says in that monologue that being a “good guy” who avoids committing assault isn’t enough, and men must actively hold other men accountable and not stay silent about sexual violence.
But when he was presented with the perfect opportunity to stand up and practice what he preached, he didn’t just stay silent. He laughed along with the other men.
Rape Crisis Northern Ireland said the remarks “contribute to a culture in which rape and sexual violence can be trivialized.” “When rape becomes a punchline and sexual violence is treated as entertainment, it becomes easier to dismiss its impact and harder for survivors to speak out,” the organization said. Dublin Rape Crisis Centre chief executive Rachel Morrogh said performers, promoters, and venues all carry a responsibility to consider who is listening and what harm material like this can do.
There is an extra layer of nuance here as well. Goodwin is an OnlyFans creator, and creators have described facing an assumption that their bodies and stories are public property. Her experience of being turned into material, and of watching a room full of people say nothing, is one many creators will recognize.
It shouldn’t have to be said that sexual assault is never a joke, but here we are. Despite comedians attempting otherwise, it’s not a joke when the target is a stranger, and it’s certainly not one when she is a named survivor who reported it weeks earlier. Typed apology statements shared on social media aren’t enough, especially when they only come after the backlash has begun. People in the room, especially those with a platform and a reputation for calling it out, have to say something right then. Silence is what lets these jokes get told.