Belfast comedian criticised for rape 'joke' about assault victim

A Belfast comedian has been criticised for making a rape "joke" about a woman who had recently spoken publicly about being the victim of a sexual assault.

Vittorio Angelone referred to content creator Rebecca Goodwin in a remark about rape which he made in a podcast episode in 2025.

Goodwin, who had previously reported a rape to police, said it will "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".

Angelone has since apologised on social media, and said he has reached out to Goodwin and apologised directly.

Goodwin had claimed that Angelone posted videos of the "joke" on his social media accounts in recent days.

Rape Crisis Northern Ireland and Dublin Rape Crisis Centre have both criticised the remarks.

The makers of the podcast have been contacted for comment.

During a 2025 episode of the 'Have a Word' podcast, Angelone asked of fellow comedian Freddy Quinne "if you're here, who's raping Rebecca Goodwin?".

British OnlyFans creator Rebecca Goodwin had previously spoken publicly about being the victim of sexual assault.

The comments were made during a "roast" episode of the podcast posted in December 2025.

The episode, which Goodwin was not involved in, contained comedians taking turns insulting each other in front of an audience.

In a post on Facebook, Goodwin said the episode was recorded "in September/October of 2025 and has been behind a paywall for a year before being published to social media".

She reported a rape to police in July 2025 and had spoken publicly about her experience.

Goodwin said she only became aware of the comments when clips were posted to social media in recent days.

"I am grateful I never saw it sooner because it would've been just weeks after [the assault] happened and I was in a different mental state to what I am now," she said.

At that time, Goodwin said that "no contact or apology has been attempted" by Angelone, but that he had "removed the joke from his own social media, again, over a year after it was made, edited, clipped, captioned and posted with my full name included".

The comments have not been edited out of the paywalled episode of the podcast.

Goodwin 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."

She added that Freddy Quinne, as well as a number of other comedians who were part of the podcast episode, had since apologised to her.

However, Goodwin said that she did not accept the apologies as they "only came a year after the joke was made and nobody had my back in that room at the time, up until I made a social media post about it".

Quinne has been approached for comment.

In a statement on Instagram, Angelone said he let his "need for validation supersede my own standards and morals".

"It's completely pathetic and I'm ashamed to realise that about myself," he said.

Angelone will feature in his first major acting role in upcoming BBC sitcom Rewarding, which is set to air this autumn.

BBC Northern Ireland have been approached for comment.

Rape Crisis Northern Ireland said they were "very disappointed to hear of the comments made by Vittorio Angelone which contribute to a culture in which rape and sexual violence can be trivialised".

"When rape becomes a punchline and sexual violence is treated as entertainment, it becomes easier to dismiss its impact and harder for survivors to speak out."

It continued: "Those with a public platform and an audience have a responsibility to consider the impact of the language they use and the attitudes they help to normalise.

"Rape jokes might seem far removed from an act of sexual violence, but they sit within that same culture of minimising and trivialising it."

They added "survivors should never be left feeling that what happened to them is something that could be laughed at, minimised or dismissed".

Chief Executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Rachel Morrogh, said: "For survivors, hearing rape treated as a punchline can be deeply hurtful, and it reinforces the attitudes that discourage people from coming forward.

"Anyone with a public platform, including performers, promoters and venues, has a responsibility to consider who is listening and the harm this kind of material can do. To treat sexual violence as a joke betrays a deep lack of understanding of what survivors have lived through."

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line.