Ryan Clark has left fans speechless by addressing the controversy surrounding this year's Eurovision contestants live on air following Israel's participation. On air, Rylan spoke out: "As I'm sure you're aware, this year Eurovision has faced one of its most challenging years; five countries have withdrawn following the continued participation of Israel, which leaves us with 35 acts competing in this year's live shows."
The 37-year-old presenter was praised online by fans for having the courage to speak out during the show about what is going on behind the scenes, following a crowd full of boo's after Israel's performance. It was reported that a few members of the audience were removed from the event because of the escalation of a number of people unhappy with this year, including Israel.
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Early in the show, Rylan, who was commentating the semis with Angela Scanlon, told viewers that five nations, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland, had declined to take part this year.
Rylan was lauded by fans for referencing the controversy surrounding the contest, writing on X: "Rylan immediately started off with mentioning 5 countries withdrawing because of Israel... honestly wasn't expecting it."
"Big on Rylan for mentioning the withdrawals, and that is because of Israel," another said.
A third added: "Rylan is making his feelings known, good for him."
Another addeD: "The BBC and Rylan actually acknowledging withdrawn countries and their reason?"
It is not the first time the presenter has received both praise and backlash following his comments.
Last August, Rylan previously sparked 702 Ofcom complaints following comments he made about the illegal immigration crisis while co-hosting This Morning with Josie Gibson, standing in for Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard.
He sparked debate after discussing immigration while chatting with Camilla Tominey and Tim Campbell about current news headlines.
He acknowledged the positive impact of legal immigration, saying: "This country is built on immigration. Legal immigration - a lot of the nurses and doctors who have saved my mum's life have come over here from other countries. They're living a great life, they're paying into this tax system, they're helping this country thrive."