Andrew Lawrence: Comedian barred from venues over 'vile' Liverpool parade collision joke as he doubles down in Youtube rant
A comedian has been dropped from multiple comedy venues after posting a “vile” joke about the recent collision at a Liverpool FC parade.
The incident, which left dozens injured, became the subject of Andrew Lawrence’s controversial post on X (formerly Twitter), where he wrote: “To be fair, if I was in Liverpool, I'd drive through crowds of people to get the f*** out of there as well.”
Many criticised the remark, demanding its removal and a public apology. One user called him “a disgrace,” while another posted: “The only time your 'comedy' will ever get a decent amount of views is by mocking a tragedy. Says a lot.”
Lawrence was scheduled to perform at Caddies Comedy Club in Essex on June 15, but the venue swiftly cancelled the show. In a statement, Caddies said: “We do not condone or support the comment that has been made online, and we send everyone impacted by the tragic events in Liverpool our support and prayers.”
Lawrence responded defiantly, accusing critics of censorship: “This venue lost their courage after being bombarded with abuse and threats of violence from online trolls.” He vowed to reschedule the show at a new Southend location, adding: “Sorry for the inconvenience, have a great day.”
More venues have since cut ties, including Liverpool’s Hot Water Comedy Club, which announced: “That’s not comedy. It’s cruelty, plain and simple. We believe in the power of comedy to challenge, uplift and connect—not to target people in moments of real pain.”
Rather than backtrack, Lawrence doubled down in a YouTube video titled Scouse Meltdown. In it, he ridiculed public reaction and questioned the seriousness of the incident: “It’s not a tragedy, is it? That’s a farce. A grand total of two people, both of whom are going to make full recovery and yet a lot of Scousers are acting like they’ve just been through the Holocaust.
“The only thing Liverpool is world class at is playing the victim. The other thing about Scousers is they have absolutely no sense of humour about themselves or their city despite imagining themselves to be the funniest people on God’s earth.”
The video received criticism across X, with one user writing: “Karma will find its way to you very soon,” while another added, “What I'm really struggling with ... Is his eyes CGI?”
However, reaction on YouTube told a different story, with many users praising Lawrence’s stance. One commenter wrote: “James O’Brien will be having a heart attack watching this,” while another joked: “79 injured but apparently 1400 disability claims 😂😂😂.”
Another user chimed in: “There’s more anger aimed at Andrew for ‘hurty words’ than at Merseyside Police for letting the driver into Water Street and causing the mayhem. Crazy.”
The incident occurred on May 26, when a car drove into crowds during a Liverpool FC celebration event. A 53-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and dangerous driving.
This isn’t the first time Lawrence has been dropped by venues. In 2021, his shows were cancelled and his agent cut ties after he made racist comments about England’s Black footballers following the Euro 2020 final.