Jack Whitehall’s clash with Mikel Arteta, ‘mugged off’ by Jose Mourinho, muted on Sky Sports

Jack Whitehall was a surprise pick to host the Formula One season launch event on Tuesday.

The livery launch show, hosted at London’s O2 Arena, will see all 10 F1 teams reveal their new cars as part of the world championship’s 75th-anniversary celebrations. Each team will be given a seven-minute slot on stage to showcase their car and drivers, with Whitehall and musical acts like Take That providing entertainment.

The comedian, a seasoned host known for his stints at the BRIT Awards, is no stranger to sporting events. As an ardent Arsenal fan who has hosted the 2023 Game 4 Ukraine and frequently mingles with renowned athletes, he brings a wealth of experience to the table.

However, the Fresh Meat actor is also known for his cheeky humour, which has landed him in some awkward situations. As he prepares to host the most significant F1 pre-season event of the year, Whitehall will undoubtedly aim to steer clear of any such previous blunders.

Arteta clash

Whitehall once attended Arsenal’s Christmas party at a posh London hotel, an opportunity he couldn’t resist given his affinity for the Gunners. However, the event didn’t quite go as planned for the comedian, who was tasked with critiquing the players’ tenpin bowling skills over a microphone while delivering his jokes on stage.

Whitehall found himself inadvertently moonlighting as a karaoke assistant during an the event, and several players mistook him for a hotel employee. Things took a turn when Mikel Arteta, who at that point was Arsenal captain, assigned him the task of managing the karaoke in the adjacent room.

Reflecting on the experience, Whitehall said: “Arteta came over to me and he was like ‘Right, the karaoke machine’s over there, we’ll give you the songs, you put them in’. I was like ‘I’m a professional comedian, I am not your karaoke b***h’. I didn’t say that, I thought that in my head.

“I said, ‘Yes okay, I’ll stand over there’. The whole evening I was having to put in the songs for the Arsenal team. Arteta called me a p***k because I couldn’t spell ‘Despacito’.”

Gerrard joke

Whitehall didn’t shy away from poking fun at football figures on-screen either. During a 2020 appearance on A League of Their Own, with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard as a guest, Whitehall implied that Jordan Henderson, who was Reds skipper at that time, would never be as good as him.

Commenting on a hotel named after Gerrard in Indonesia, Whitehall joked: “The Stevie G Hotel. I tried to book a room there and they were fully booked. So I had to stay at one down the road that wasn’t nearly as good. It’s called the Hotel Jordan Henderson.”

While Gerrard greeted the joke with a smirk, he shook his head and finger in playful disapproval.

Muted on Soccer AM

Whitehall appeared on the final episode of the iconic Sky Sports programme Soccer AM in 2023, bringing his controversial brand of humour to the screen. However, he pushed boundaries too far and received backlash for a joke about then recently deceased Rolf Harris.

The moment turned awkward as ex-Premier League player Jimmy Bullard left the set in disbelief following Whitehall’s suggestion that he wouldn’t mind taking Harris’ Royal honours. Producers quickly muted Whitehall’s microphone as a result.

Whitehall responded to the incident with some poetry on Twitter: “Do not go gentle into that good night. #SoccerAm so much love for this show. This felt like a fitting send off for me – I think over the years I’ve been muted more than any guest. Saturday mornings won’t be the same!”

Mourinho prank

In another hilarious recollection, Whitehall recounted how he was completely pranked by legendary Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho while filming his YouTube series ‘Jack Whitehall: Training Days’. During his tenure as Manchester United boss, Mourinho “absolutely mugged off” the comedian.

Reflecting on that episode, Whitehall described a scene where he had teased the ex-Chelsea and Tottenham boss about ageing, only for the manager to abruptly storm out of the car.

“I was like, I’ve actually ruined this, the whole filming day is scuppered because I made one stupid joke. I was apologising profusely, the director was going after him and then I found out they were all in on it and trying to scare me. But I completely fell for it and Mourinho absolutely mugged me off.”