Praised Farage to full-on socialist: The Celebrity Traitors who are surprisingly super political

When watching The Celebrity Traitors season two, you might wrongly assume that some of the celebs are liberal or conservative based solely on what you know about their character. 

So I did some digging, and while some of this year’s crop are annoying fence-sitters, there are a few names who wield their status to enact political change. You love to see it. 

Ross Kemp is actually left-wing 

Credit: BBC

Admittedly, I assumed Ross Kemp would be more conservative based on his age and hard-man persona. But that’s not very accurate, sorry, Ross. 

Ross Kemp has long been a supporter of the Labour Party, and he was named Rector of the University of Glasgow as a candidate for the Glasgow University Labour Club in 1999. He endorsed Labour in 2014, 2017, and 2024, and condemned the “hijacking” of national symbols by the far right just last year. He did endorse a Conservative MP, but that’s about it on the opposite side of things. 

Amidst what boomers referred to as the “migrant crisis”, he supported celebs like Gary Lineker and Lily Allen in voicing their opinions on social and political matters. He’s a free speech king. 

Romesh Ranganathan is firm on his beliefs 

Credit: BBC

I can’t find much on Romesh Ranganathan’s party affiliations, but he’s been very outspoken on the political issues that matter to him. One of them has been refugee support and asylum, and he’s previously argued that immigrants are “scapegoated” for the nation’s issues. 

He also backs the Maaate campaign, which seeks to challenge everyday sexism, misogyny, and harassment. 

Julie Hesmondhalgh is a full-on socialist icon 

Credit: BBC

Just when you thought you couldn’t love Julie Hesmondhalgh more, it turns out she is a full-on socialist, feminist, and LGBTQ+ ally. She’s a staple of protests and picket lines, and is a prominent figure in the People’s Assembly Against Austerity. 

“Oh, always: I’m from a small northern industrial town and I lived through the Thatcher years,” she told The Guardian. “I’m a socialist, and it’s the engine that fires me, really – just hoping for a better, more equal society. These are such strange times we’re living in, you can see how quickly things can change; for example, the #MeToo movement, which just shifted everything on its axis. Surely we’re at the tipping point now for austerity.”

A longtime supporter of Labour, and specifically Jeremy Corbyn, Julie also co-founded Take Back Theatre, a radical organisation that rapidly responds to major social and political issues through theatre performances. 

But it doesn’t stop there, because Julie’s own politics also informs the roles she plays. She portrayed Hayley Cropper, the first prominent trans character on soaps from 1999 to 2014, and championed victims of the Horizon IT scandal after her role in Mr Bates vs The Post Office. 

Most Read

This year is slightly different, so here is the episode schedule for Celebrity Traitors this week

I’ve just realised that three cast members from Celebrity Traitors were in Game of Thrones

The ridiculous fortunes of The Celebrity Traitors: Their net worths, from £500K to £50 million

Michael Sheen’s political moments are legion 

Credit: BBC

To say that Michael Sheen is deeply engaged in politics is an understatement, because he’s a “not-for-profit” actor who funnels his wealth back into systems he cares about like the NHS, homelessness, youth charities, and Welsh causes. 

In 2017, he renounced his OBE to avoid hypocrisy while speaking out about the British establishment, the rise of the far right, and Brexit. 

Amol Rajan is unbiased, but did praise Nigel Farage 

Credit: BBC

Thankfully, there are no Reform voters in The Celebrity Traitors lineup, at least none that we know about. That being said, Amol Rajan is the only person to have publicly praised its leader, Nigel Farage. 

Though the vast majority of his comments have been unbiased, given his years in broadcast journalism, he did once say: “Regular readers will know my high opinion of Nigel Farage and UKIP’s policy on immigration.”

He went on to say that voting for UKIP at the time would have been pointless “because the seat is guaranteed for Labour — who, knowing it is safe, won’t bother much with it either.”

In 2013, he also stood firm on his decision to give Farage a column at The Independent because “I wanted the other end of the political spectrum to be represented too.”

Joe Lycett’s politics inform his comedy 

Credit: BBC

Politics and comedy often go hand in hand, and Joe Lycett has used his humour to poke holes in political moments for years. For one, he has been outspoken about LGBTQ+ rights, and the way politicians use them in “culture wars”. 

He blamed the former Conservative government for pushing him to become “politically motivated”, and it’s sparked countless hilarious gags. From sarcastically supporting Liz Truss to creating a fake viral Sue Gray report after the Partygate scandal, his political activism proves that fence-sitters are the worst kind of celebrities. 

For all the latest news and drops about The Celebrity Traitors, like The Holy Church of The Traitors on Facebook. 

Featured image credit: BBC