What did Molly-Mae Hague say? Love Island star’s ‘24 hour’ comments from Steven Bartlett interview explained

Former Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague has come under fire for comments made during an interview on the podcast The Diary of a CEO with new Dragons’ Den dragon Steven Bartlett. 

This is everything you need to know.

What did she say?

In an interview with Steven Bartlett on his podcast The Diary of a CEO, Hague said: “I just think you’re given one life and it’s down to you what you do with it. You can literally go in any direction.

“When I’ve spoken in the past I’ve been slammed a little bit, with people saying, “It’s easy for you to say that, you’ve not grown up in poverty, you’ve not grown up with major money struggles. So for you to sit there and say that we all have the same 24 hours in a day is not correct”.

“And I’m like, but technically what I’m saying is correct, we do.

“So I understand we all have different backgrounds and we’re raised in different ways and have different financial situations, but if you want something enough you can achieve it and it just depends to what lengths you want to go to get to where you want to be in the future.

“And I’ll go to any length. I’ve worked my absolute a**e off to get where I am now.”

What has the response been like?

Hague has faced considerable backlash after a clip from the interview was posted by a user on Twitter, with the caption “If you’re homeless just buy a house”. The tweet, posted on Wednesday 5 January, has amassed 69.3k likes, 17.1k quote tweets and over 5,000 retweets.

Her comments have been branded as “tone deaf” with many pointing out that while everyone does physically have the same 24 hours in a day, Hague has failed to take into consideration the variety of obstacles a person can face, like physical or mental health issues, and economic disparities.

One person tweeted: “Do you think the children of billionaires, attending private school & living in crime-free gated communities have the same odds at ‘making it’ as children who don’t?”

Another wrote: “Everyone has the same 24 hours, except some people don’t have enough food or heat to think clearly. Some people don’t have supportive parents. Some people have to work several jobs to stay alive, so they don’t have ample time to boss babe themselves #mollymae.”

Louis Staples, journalist and British GQ columnist, tweeted: “Molly Mae is a prime example of how influencers promote individualist narratives and a very right-wing world-view. Thatcherite talking-points dressed up in “inspirational” influencer speak.”

BBC presenter and podcaster Jess Davies also wrote: “I respect Molly Mae for making the most of her opportunity & grabbing it with both hands, but I DESPAIR at the quote about everyone having the same time in a day as Beyonce. The reality is that social inequality means there’ll never be an even playing field.”

Gina Martin, UN Women campaigner, tweeted: “The garment workers making PLTs collections may have the same amount of hours in their day as Molly-Mae, but those hours are very different because they *don’t* earn a living wage.

“I would like to see Molly-Mae use the hours in her day to advocate that they do.”

Martin is referring to an independent review which found that the workers in a factory making clothes for Boohoo were being paid as little as £3.50 an hour. Boohoo owns Pretty Little Thing, of which Hague is the creative director.

Others have come to her defence, with historian and History UK host Dr Fern Riddell tweeting: “I am way less interested in what Molly Mae said, being just 22 and trying to act like she understands the world, than I am by the sheer amount of middle aged men so eager to absolutely go for her with as much abuse as they can possibly muster in response.”

Journalist Zasha Whiteway-Wilkinson also wrote: “I don’t like playing Devil’s Advocate BUT Molly Mae is a product of a background, she should work harder (at all) to educate herself, but she’s 22 & I said & did some stupid stuff at 22 I’m REALLY glad the world wasn’t watching, so mock a lil, but on the whole let’s be kind.”

“Ye gods what’s wrong with @mollymaehague saying working hard, aspiring to make something of yourself, and using your time wisely might mean you achieve success? We need more younger people saying this sort of thing,” tweeted Talk Radio host Cristo Foufas.

What have her fellow Love Island stars said?

Shaughna Phillips, who starred on season six of Love Island commented on the situation, writing on Twitter: “Molly Mae is young, who’s had a lot of success really quickly, and not a lot of “life”.

“So I can understand why she holds those views. We all say things when we’re younger and look back and think “well that was stupid” lol.

“No shade, I wanna live in her bubble.”

Maura Higgins, who appeared on the same season of Love Island with Hague, replied to Phillips’ tweet questioning why she was commenting on the situation in the first place.

Higgins tweeted: “Surely you know as someone in this industry how lonely and scary it can be when the whole internet is slamming you. Your [sic] entitled to your opinion yes but I’m really surprised you commenting [sic] on this at all.”

Phillips responded to Higgins, writing: “100% That’s why I tweeted this in her defence. She’s young and successful, it’s not her fault she has those views. Like I said, no shade, just jel lol.”

Has Molly-Mae Hague responded to the backlash?

As it stands, Hague has not yet responded to the backlash from the interview on Diary of a CEO.

She recently posted on her Instagram a series of photos of herself and boyfriend Tommy Fury in New York City.

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