Joe Lycett addresses his sexuality after fans were ‘surprised’ he had baby with a woman

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Comedian Joe Lycett has talked candidly with broadcaster Fearne Cotton about how others view his sexuality. The pair chatted about their identities, and how figuring it out in the public eye can be challenging. Fearne, 44, started the discussion on her Happy Place podcast by admitting that at the end of her Radio 1 career she started to become a ‘very beige version’ of herself, because she was ‘so terrified’ that everyone hated her. Joe, 38, then added that before his paternity leave, he felt like he’d got a ‘bit stiff and lost who [he] was’. He then went on and said he’d got caught up in his ‘identity as a public persona’, admitting: ‘Lots of people were surprised when I had a child with a woman, because they were like: “But you’re the gay man.” ‘And I’ve never said that I’m gay because I’ve never been gay. But because I’m camp and I do innuendo and all those sorts of things, people have this idea of what that is.’ Joe became a dad in 2024 (Picture: Ian West/Pa Wire) The Taskmaster star explained how that triggered some self-reflection, causing him to ask himself if he had a true idea of who he was and if his stage persona was the same as him? Both media personalities admitted that they still weren’t totally confident in who they were, which Fearne said she thought was ‘maybe quite healthy’. Joe welcomed his first child in October 2024, posting a sweet snap on his Instagram at the time. The proud Brummy keeps his private life under wraps and hadn’t shared news he was expecting a baby with his girlfriend, who he calls by the pseudonym ‘Denise’. This caused some followers to momentarily question whether his announcement was another one of his famous pranks. In the past, Joe has set out to fool the nation with various stunts. One of them involved him ‘shredding £10,000’ in protest of David Beckham’s role as an ambassador for Qatar World Cup – only for him to then reveal he hadn’t really destroyed the money. Joe chatted with Fearne about separating his personal and stage persona (Picture: Matt Crockett/Channel 4/PA Wire) After revealing to the world he was a father, Joe took the opportunity to remind his followers about his pansexuality. Instead of writing a sincere post, Joe teased his followers by jokingly claiming: ‘Pansexuality is actually nothing to do with gender or any of that woke stuff but mating rituals which are primarily to do with smell and are strictly seasonal.’ He went on: ‘Generally the smells they are attracted to are blueberry flavour disposable vapes, Alpro soy milk (unsweetened), nail varnish remover, and coins. Some really like chicken jalfrezi (NEVER, EVER put a lamb korma near a pansexual). I hope that clears things up.’ The TV star has spoken about being pansexual in the past, and told Bimini Bon Boulash there was a ‘brief period’ when he thought he was gay because he was ‘attracted to men’, but then he was like ‘whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on’. At the time he said he used the term bisexual if he ‘wanted to give a quick answer because people understand that’. However, he added: ‘I think the most accurate way of describing myself is pansexual, in that I’m not attracted to people, just because of their gender.’ Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place is available on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, Acast, Podbean and Apple. Deals of the Day Shop MySweetSmile's biggest Bank Holiday offers before they end Back-to-school shopping just got a lot cheaper thanks to Primark The back-to-school essential parents forget every year – and it could cost them Simba's cooling mattresses are now up to 30% off ahead of the bank holiday The best hosepipe ban-friendly products to protect your garden this summer Arrow MORE: Fearne Cotton’s ex Jesse Wood welcomes fifth child with Made In Chelsea star TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.