Vittorio Angelone apologises over Rebecca Goodwin rape joke
Vittorio Angelone, a Belfast comedian, has made a public apology following backlash to a rape joke he told about Rebecca Goodwin during a ‘roast’ episode of the Have A Word podcast. The episode was recorded in autumn last year, and Angelone directed the joke towards fellow comedian Freddy Quinne.
During the paywalled recording, Angelone asked Quinne:
“If you’re here, who’s raping Rebecca Goodwin?”
Goodwin, who has said she was the victim of sexual assault, reported a rape to police in July 2025. The remark therefore concerned an experience she had already disclosed to the authorities, rather than a hypothetical subject.
Rebecca Goodwin says the joke was not funny
Goodwin responded to Angelone’s joke about her by saying:
“I understand comedy and things can be laughed at, but this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever been through in my life and I’m not exaggerating and it just hurts. “It’s not funny and he’s not funny.”
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In a separate statement, Goodwin said it would:
‘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’
She claimed Angelone had posted clips containing the joke on social media in recent days. Goodwin said she was glad she had not seen the clip when it was first released and that Angelone had made no contact or attempt to apologise during that time.
Angelone’s social media apology acknowledges the harm
Angelone has now posted an apology on his social media channels. He wrote:
“I made a joke that I shouldn’t have made and I’d like to say sorry.”The joke referenced sexual violence. At the very least I should have run the joke past the person mentioned and then still not told it because it isn’t funny.
“I let my need for validation supersede my own standards and morals. It’s completely pathetic and I’m ashamed to realise that about myself.”I pride myself on being able to talk about difficult topics and make them funny. I stand behind plenty of jokes that people have criticised. This is not one of those jokes.”I’ve reached out and apologised directly to the person mentioned in the joke.”I’m also sorry to all the people who are rightly upset by the joke. I know that’s not going to make it okay but I’m still sorry.”I am not apologising in the hopes that this all blows over. I’m apologising because that’s what you should do when you realise you’ve done something wrong.”I’m grateful to you for calling me out and making me realise where I should’ve done better.”
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Angelone went on to say that ‘sometimes you need a lot of people telling you’ when you’ve made a huge error and that he had resolved to ‘do better in future’.
Freddy Quinne and other podcast participants apologise
Goodwin said Freddy Quinne and other comedians who participated in the Have A Word podcast had since apologised to her as well. She did not accept their apologies because they came a year after Angelone made the joke, adding:
‘nobody had my back in that room at the time, up until I made a social media post about it’
Goodwin also said:
“We are facing a global crisis of violence against women and girls, and we are begging for our safety and experiences to be taken seriously.”
The BBC reports that the joke is still in the paywalled episode of the podcast.
Why This Matters
Angelone’s apology made the issue more concrete than a generic expression of regret. He acknowledged that he should have checked the joke with the person named and that, even after doing so, he should not have told it because it was not funny. For comedy writers, podcast producers and performers, that distinction places prior consultation and the treatment of sexual violence at the centre of editorial and ethical judgement.
The response within the recording room was also central to Goodwin’s account. She said she did not accept the apologies from Quinne and the other participating comedians because they came a year after Angelone made the joke, and she said nobody had supported her in the room at the time. Angelone separately said he had contacted Goodwin directly and that his apology was not intended to make the issue disappear. The BBC’s report that the joke remained in the paywalled episode showed that the public apology and the continued availability of the original recording were separate issues at the time of reporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Vittorio Angelone apologise for?
Angelone apologised for the rape joke he made about Rebecca Goodwin during the paywalled Have A Word podcast episode. He acknowledged that the joke referenced sexual violence, said he should have consulted the person named and still not made the joke, and stated that he had contacted Goodwin directly.
Why did Rebecca Goodwin object to the joke?
Goodwin said the joke was about one of the hardest experiences of her life and that she was not exaggerating about its impact. She had reported a rape to police in July 2025 and said her name should not have been used as the punchline for a malicious joke about such a serious issue.
What happened to the Have A Word episode and the other comedians?
The BBC reported that the joke remained in the paywalled episode. Goodwin said Freddy Quinne and other participating comedians later apologised, but she did not accept their year-late apologies because nobody had supported her in the room when the episode was recorded. Angelone, meanwhile, said he had apologised to Goodwin directly.
