Katie Hopkins | |
|---|---|
 Hopkins in 2023 | |
| Born | Katie Olivia Hopkins 13 February 1975 Barnstaple, England |
| Education | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Television | |
| Political party | UK Independence Party (since 2021) |
| Spouses | Damian McKinney
(m. 2004; div. 2005)Mark Cross (m. 2010) |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | katiesarms |
Katie Olivia Hopkins (born 13 February 1975)[1][2] is an English media personality, far-right[3] political commentator, and former columnist and businesswoman. She was a contestant on the third series of the reality television show The Apprentice in 2007; following further appearances in the media, she became a columnist for British national newspapers, including The Sun (2013–2015) and MailOnline (2015–2017). In 2015, Hopkins appeared on the fifteenth series of the reality television show Celebrity Big Brother, in which she finished as runner-up, and hosted her own television talk show, If Katie Hopkins Ruled the World. The following year, she became a presenter for the talk radio station LBC and underwent major brain surgery to treat her epilepsy.[4]
Hopkins' social media presence and outspoken views, especially on UK politics, social class, migrants and race, have attracted controversy, media scrutiny and legal issues.[5] She has been accused of racism by some journalists, advocacy groups and politicians for her comments about migrants.[6] In 2016, her former employer MailOnline was forced to pay significant damages to a Muslim family whom she had falsely accused of extremist links.[7][8] In the 2017 libel case Monroe v Hopkins, Hopkins was required to pay damages and legal costs to food writer Jack Monroe after making defamatory remarks on Twitter.[9] Her role at LBC was terminated in May 2017 following her comments on Twitter about the Manchester Arena bombing.[10]
Hopkins was permanently suspended from Twitter in June 2020 for what the company described as "violations of our hateful conduct policy",[11][12] but her account was reinstated in November 2023.[13] In July 2021, she was deported from Australia and had to pay a fine for deliberately breaching COVID-19 health regulations.[14] That same year, Hopkins joined the UK Independence Party (UKIP).[15][16]
- ^ "Katie Hopkins: what fat people need is a kick up the a---". The Telegraph. 8 January 2015. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ^ Thring, Oliver. "Katie Hopkins: I want to save Britain, but I'm no Bob Geldof". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ Multiple sources:
- Townsend, Mark (23 September 2018). "Katie Hopkins to speak at far-right rally with Holocaust denier". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- Sternlicht, Alexandra (19 June 2020). "Far-Right U.K. Commentator Katie Hopkins Permanently Banned From Twitter For 'Hateful Conduct'". Forbes. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- Hutzler, Alexandra (9 August 2019). "Who is Katie Hopkins? Far-Right British Activist Known For Racist Rants Finds Support from Donald Trump". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- Beresford, Jack (19 June 2020). "Katie Hopkins permanently banned from Twitter". The Irish Post. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
The far-right commentator's account, which had over a million followers, was closed following a breach of the site's regulations around hateful content.
- Kulkarni, Ankita (20 February 2024). "What is the 'new climate denial' and how does it impact our response to climate change?". Logically. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
Logically Facts found that far-right political commentators like Katie Hopkins and popular channels like 'PragerU', which promote "educational content," were also following the trend.
- ^ "Katie Hopkins undergoes brain surgery to treat epilepsy". ITV News. 22 February 2016. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- ^ Cumming, Ed (25 August 2014). "Katie Hopkins fat-shaming the obese is pointless – we already blame ourselves". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
- ^ Holt, Jared (2 April 2018). "Katie Hopkins: 'Multiculturalism Means That We All Die Together'". Right Wing Watch. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ^ Jackson, Jasper (19 December 2016). "Mail pays out £150,000 to Muslim family over Katie Hopkins column". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ "MailOnline forced to pay out £150k over Katie Hopkins column". The Scotsman. 19 December 2016. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
the=guardian-katie-hopkins-applies-for-insolvency-to-avoid-bankruptcy-after-jack-monroe-twitter-costly-libel-casewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Katie Hopkins to leave LBC 'immediately'". BBC News. 26 May 2017. Archived from the original on 16 December 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Katie Hopkins joined Parler after permanently suspended from Twitter". EMEA Tribune. 20 June 2020. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Vallance, Chris (6 November 2023). "Tommy Robinson and Katie Hopkins reinstated on X". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "Australia deports Hopkins over quarantine boast". BBC News. 19 July 2021. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Katie Hopkins joins UKIP". www.ukip.org. 14 January 2021. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ^ O'Reilly, Luke (14 January 2021). "Katie Hopkins joins UKIP in time for the party's leadership contest". www.standard.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2021.