Louise Thompson has criticised Steven Bartlett for his 'misogynistic' take on declining birth rates - as her fiancé Ryan Libbey brands his views 'archaic'.
Advertisement
The former Made In Chelsea star and personal trainer Ryan, both 35, were discussing Steven's recent controversial comments on their He Said, She Said podcast this week.
It came after Steven's podcast discussion with guest Christopher Williamson went viral and resurfaced where the pair talked about reasons for the declining birth rate, where Williamson blamed some women for harbouring an 'anti-family' sentiment.
At the same time another chat began doing the rounds again where Steven spoke with psychologist Dr Alok Kanojia.
The pair discussed the male loneliness epidemic, mentioning that incels - involuntary celibate men - will go extinct if they're unable to find a partner and reproduce.
Advertisement
Louise and Ryan discussed it on their podcast this week as Louise told her partner: 'So they had a conversation about the declining population level and they have come under scrutiny with it.
Louise Thompson has criticised Steven Bartlett for his 'misogynistic' take on declining birth rates - as her fiancé Ryan Libbey brands his views 'archaic'
Several of Steven's podcast interviews have resurfaced recently and in one he discussed the male loneliness epidemic and incels
'Neither of them actually have children so I don't think that either of them are best placed to comment on the reasons why families aren't having as many children as they used to.'
Ryan asked: 'So are they getting a lot of hate for it?'
Advertisement
Louise then replied: 'Yes they are - a lot.'
Ryan responded: 'Good, I'm glad. As that is a very misogynistic take. Having children is no longer seen as an obligation but as a decision that they have autonomy and agency over and men are not caught up with accepting that yet.
'Raising children is something you now do men and women as a partnership.'
Louise added: 'Women are also having children later in life because there are other things in life that we want to achieve first. We shouldn't have to compromise out twenties and thirties just to keep Steven Bartlett happy!'
Ryan added: 'F**k what he said, it's archaic. Women now have choice. It's not obligation.'
Advertisement
Steven said when talking to Dr Alok: 'We're going to have a lot of men who are disillusioned that become incels, find themselves in pockets of the internet, are resentful. All those kinds of things.
'Should society intervene to course correct that put systems in place to make sure that those men meet partners?'
The former Made In Chelsea star and personal trainer Ryan, both 35, were discussing Steven's recent controversial comments on their He Said, She Said podcast this week
Steven and Dr Alok discussed the male loneliness epidemic, mentioning that incels - involuntary celibate men - will go extinct if they're unable to find a partner and reproduce
Louise said: 'Women are also having children later in life because there are other things in life that we want to achieve first. We shouldn't have to compromise out twenties and thirties just to keep Steven Bartlett happy!'
Advertisement
It was the latest in a series of missteps, alleged half-truths and controversies that have plagued the host since he shot to fame in early 2022 as the youngest Dragon investor, including claims from an ex-colleague who complains of 'dishonesty' at the heart of his empire, which you can read more about here.
Content creator Shabaz Ali has garnered celeb support after he offered his take on the podcast as a whole, joking it should be renamed 'Therapy for Men, sponsored by Women Ruin Society'.
Shabaz mused: 'This podcast used to be about like business, mindset, trauma, essentially let's heal together and get rich responsibly.
'However, there seems to be this shift where it's become blame women for men's problems.'
Referring to Steven's comments about supporting incels, Shabaz said: 'Men's loneliness is real, men's mental health is real.
Advertisement
'But what is also real is when a podcast starts to give Manosphere ideas a ring light and a hug... just because you say it calmly and softly and have this nice background does not make the conversation crazy.
'So you get a guest coming on going, 'Modern feminism is the reason why birth rates are falling, or dating is broken because women have got standards now.'
'It comes with, 'wow, that's so powerful, tell me more'. No pushback, no what's your evidence, no is that actually true?
'This is why a lot of people have called him like a Trojan horse, right, because it isn't the same as Andrew Tate standing up there shouting and screaming. This has got a therapy vibe to it.'
Shabaz went on to claim the podcast was 'not balanced or neutral' and was instead 'serving up the same narrative over and over'.
Advertisement
He concluded: 'I'm not saying that his guests can't have opinions, it's just the challenging is not done. The constantly platforming the same conversation is not doing any favours to anyone, especially women.'
The Daily Mail understands that the C-suite of Steven's company are all female.
A spokesman for Diary Of A CEO told Daily Mail: 'The Diary Of A CEO is a long-form, conversational podcast designed to explore the perspectives and experiences of its guests in their own words.
'Inviting a guest is an act of inquiry, not endorsement. Steven Bartlett does not adopt the opinions of his guests, nor is the format intended to pass judgment on personal viewpoints.
'To suggest that a host is responsible for every view expressed by a guest is a fundamental misunderstanding of the long-form interview format.'
Advertisement
Regarding suggestions that the podcast is part of the Right-wing manosphere, they added: 'DOAC features guests from across the entire political and cultural spectrum. In recent months alone, guests have included Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, and a yet to be published conversation with Zohran Mamdani.
'The podcast's archive is a matter of public record and disproves this claim instantly.'
Shabaz was flooded with support from his celebrity followers, including Oti Mabuse, who admitted she was once a fan of the podcast.
'He's so disappointing in many ways,' she commented. 'I used to love it so much.'
Vicky Pattison penned: 'Insightful, powerful and beautifully articulated.... he's really disappointing,' while Ulrika Jonsson added: 'Amen.'
Advertisement
Ferne McCann voiced her support with clapping emojis, while BBC radio DJ Sara Cox posted a praising hands emoji and The Traitors star Charlotte Chilton commented: 'Haha love this'.
Radio 1's Greg James penned: 'It's been hurtling towards this dangerous s***e for ages.
'What's everyone's favourite episode? Mine is the one where an 'expert' claimed autism could be reversed through diet. Oh and the one that said Covid was an engineered weapon. Neither claim was challenged. Great stuff.
'I'll be raising a refreshing glass of Huel to him this evening.'
A spokesman for the podcast previously told The Mail on Sunday that 'Steven Bartlett does not adopt the opinions of his guests, nor is the format intended to pass judgment on personal viewpoints'.
Advertisement
The Daily Mail has contacted Steven's representatives for comment.
Yet this isn't the first time Steven has been accused of sharing harmful information.
In 2024, Steven was condemned by top health experts for sharing harmful health information on his podcast that could put cancer patients at risk.
Dr Alok is seen. His conversation with Steven has resurfaced in recent weeks
Guests on the podcast claimed cancer can be treated by following a keto diet, and that the Covid vaccine was a 'net negative for society'.
Advertisement
Experts slammed the star for failing to question these disproven claims, and creating a distrust of conventional medicine as a result.
A BBC World Service investigation also looked into the accuracy of health information featured on Diary of A CEO.
The broadcaster analysed 23 health-related podcast episodes and found 15 contained an average of 14 harmful claims that went against scientific evidence.
The misinformation was allowed with 'little to no challenge' by the entrepreneur.