James Acaster has a plan to rebuild his reputation after awkward Celebrity Traitors stint

James Acaster might be hoping we can all forget about his Celebrity Traitors antics, because he’s reportedly got a plan to get his reputation back on track.

The comedian had a pretty eventful time in the castle, to say the least. After turning on his fellow Traitors at the roundtable, James became one of the show’s biggest talking points, with some people defending his decision and others accusing him of completely ruining the game.

Via BBC

It’s a bit of a change for someone who’s generally been one of comedy’s most well-liked faces. And apparently, he’s not entirely sure what to make of his new reputation.

A source told The Sun: “Before the Celebrity Traitors, James was seen as a real good egg. He was one of those comedians people just instinctively liked.

“He had this slightly awkward, self-deprecating charm and there wasn’t really any controversy surrounding him. People knew about his relationship history and the Rowan Atkinson situation, but that was about as much drama as there was.

“But what happened on The Celebrity Traitors was such an unexpected moment and viewers felt he had thrown the other Traitors under the bus. It caused a huge reaction online, with people very divided over whether it was a betrayal of the game or if they felt bad for him.

“For James, who has spent much of his career being adored by audiences, that sort of reaction is unfamiliar territory.”

Via BBC

Apparently, James has been pretty surprised by just how much people had to say about his behaviour in the castle, and is aware that not everyone looks at him quite the same way now.

The source added: “He’s been quite taken aback by the reaction and is conscious that the show has changed the way some people see him. There is a concern that he has damaged a reputation that took years to build.

“He doesn’t want to be remembered as the person who caused chaos on The Celebrity Traitors. He’s keen to remind people of the James they knew before the show.”

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But if you’re expecting James to sit down for a big tell-all interview explaining himself, apparently that’s not really his style.

Instead, he’s reportedly planning to keep doing what he does best and let his work do the explaining

The source said: “He’s not someone who wants to get into a public war of words or start defending himself in interviews. He’s much more inclined to keep his head down, carry on with his work and let his next projects speak for themselves.

“He’s been keeping things relatively low-key, doing his podcast and getting on with life. He’s already quietly plotting his next moves.”

Via BBC

And luckily, James has plenty to keep him occupied outside the castle. He’s still working on Off Menu, his very popular podcast with fellow comedian Ed Gamble, although he’s apparently keeping his public appearances to a minimum for now.

He’s also got his film James Acaster: Cinemagoers Welcome to bring back into the conversation. Released in March, the feature explores his slightly complicated relationship with stand-up comedy, which is a rather different subject from throwing your fellow Traitors under the bus.

The film is expected to get another promotional push, giving James a chance to get people talking about something other than his roundtable confession.

So, rather than spending the next few months arguing about whether he played the game properly, James seems to be getting on with his usual comedy projects. Probably a sensible move.

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

Featured image via BBC