Romesh Ranganathan's wife targeted with racist abuse online

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 29 Oct, 08:57 · Archive

Comedian Romesh Ranganathan has revealed that his wife Leesa was sent a racist message calling her a 'race traitor' for marrying him.

Comedian Romesh Ranganathan has revealed that his wife Leesa was targeted by an online troll who branded her a 'race traitor' for marrying him. The 48-year-old said he receives racist messages online every day, but the abuse took a deeply personal turn when his wife received her first racist message on social media.

On Instagram, the troll told Leesa: 'You are a race traitor because you married one of them. You are no longer welcome among the whites.' Ranganathan said his wife was 'incredibly upset' by the message. He responded by telling her to 'look at our house' and said she had 'come over to the dark side, and it's working pretty f***ing well for you.'

However, Ranganathan acknowledged feeling responsible for his wife's suffering. He said: 'Even though it is not my fault, I am the reason that Leesa received that message. She is upset now because she is married to me. That's not a nice thing to contend with.' He noted that if she had married a white man, she would not have received such a message, though she also would not have the financial benefits they now enjoy. The pair met while working as teachers at Hazelwick School in Crawley, where Leesa taught drama and Ranganathan taught maths.

How it is being reported

• Romesh Ranganathan’s wife targeted with vile ‘race traitor’ jibe by online trollThe comedian has previously revealed that his sons have been subject to racist abuseEvening Standard · 29 Oct, 08:36
• Celebrity Traitors star Romesh Ranganathan reveals that his wife Leesa was targeted by an online troll who branded her a 'race traitor' for marrying himCelebrity Traitors star Romesh Ranganathan has revealed that his wife, Leesa, was targeted by an online troll who branded her a 'race traitor' for marrying him.Daily Mail · 28 Oct, 18:15

In this story: Romesh Ranganathan · Leesa Ranganathan · Hazelwick School · Crawley · New Malden

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log