“I have enough puffs who come through my boardroom”
Lord Sugar has been accused of discrimination after posting a tweet about “puffs”.
A Twitter user, Laura Thompson, sent the Apprentice host a photoshopped picture of him super-imposed onto a box of Sugar Puffs, saying “I found your next business venture” – a play on his surname.
@Lord_Sugar I found your next business venture pic.twitter.com/nlzsePtwEK
— Laura (@Laura_Txx) December 23, 2018
Lord Sugar responded by quoting the tweet, commenting: “hah…… I have enough puff s who come through my boardroom.”
Sugar has been called out for the tweet, with many accusing him of making discriminatory remarks.
Sugar has received criticism this year from the only openly gay contestant of this Apprentice season, Frank Brooks, after he was described as “emotional” in the boardroom. Many tweeters believe Sugar used the word “puff” as a deliberate play on the term “poof,” a homophobic slur in Britain and many other countries.
Football writer Daniel Storey cited Sugar’s last episode of controversy on Twitter, when he compared the Senegal football team to ‘guys from the beach in Marbella’.
Sugar eventually deleted the tweet after he was accused of racism despite initially defending it.
Remember that racist thing you tweeted about the Senegal football team? And how you repeatedly said it wasn't racist but then deleted it because it was racist and then apologised for being racist? Skip the middle part this time.
— Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85) December 24, 2018
https://twitter.com/JackDunc1/status/1077209173895667712
https://twitter.com/SalmanSamiAli/status/1077188206435749888
Sugar claimed his remark alluded to people being ‘full of hot air’, not everyone was convinced.
The @MailOnline SCUM trying to stir up trouble . A lady posted a funny picture of me on a Sugar Puffs cereal packet. I replied Hah.. I have enough puffs coming through my board room. Meaning PEOPLE FULL OF HOT AIR . So go to hell you horrible sh..s @MailOnline https://t.co/KyutxFX6jw
— Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) December 24, 2018
OK, so the explanation is that "puff" means "people full of hot air". But of course! Who hasn't heard of "puff" being used in this way?
— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) December 24, 2018
Sugar revealed in a later tweet that he told The Sun newspaper to ‘p*ss off’ when asked for comment on the tweet.
Look at this they have nothing to do . I told him to pi.. off.
Hello Lord Sugar, I’m a reporter for The Sun Online. We’re running a story on your tweet, which read: People have accused the tweet of being homophobic. Do you have a comment you’d like to add? Thank you, Alex— Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) December 24, 2018
