Ofcom has received nearly 50,000 complaints in 2025 — and one TV show triggered the strongest reactions from viewers.
The UK regulator logged 49,850 complaints across the year, resulting in more than 8,400 cases and 23 broadcast standards investigations.
That figure is down on 2024’s 69,080 complaints, and a sharp drop from the 173,132 recorded in 2021.
Still, one genre continues to dominate the list: reality TV, which was the biggest lightning rod for Ofcom complaints in 2025, with Love Island leading the way. However, there are other backlashes you may remember.
Ofcom reveals the TV shows with most complaints in 2025
10. The Brit Awards 2025
- Date: March 1, 2025
- Complaints: 938
- Channel: ITV1
Two major music stars attracted criticism from viewers at The Brit Awards: Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX.
In Carpenter’s case, some viewers felt her pre-watershed opening performance (featuring a mash-up of several songs, including ‘Espresso’) was too inappropriate. Notably, she knelt in front of a male dancer, who winked at the camera before she went off-screen.
Carpenter even addressed it on social media, writing on Instagram: “Brits… I now know what watershed is!!!!”
The complaints about Charli XCX centred on her outfit: a black, see-through dress.
“I heard that ITV were complaining about my nipples,” the ‘Brat’ singer said ass she accepted her Artist of the Year award.
“I feel like we’re in the era of ‘free the nipple’ though, right?”
9. Celebrity Big Brother
- Date: April 9, 2025
- Complaints: 1,008
- Channel: ITV2
Mickey Rourke’s comments to JoJo Siwa sparked immediate backlash online, so it’s not surprising that it’s one of Ofcom’s most-complained-about moments of the year.
During his brief stint in Celebrity Big Brother, he made multiple comments regarding Siwa’s sexuality.
For example, he said he was going to “vote the lesbian out real quick”.
When he asked her if she’s attracted to a specific gender, she said: “Girls. My partner is non-binary.” He replied: “If I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay anymore.”
In another moment, Rourke said he needed a “fag”, meaning a cigarette, but then told Siwa: “I’m not talking to you.”
A few days later, Rourke left the Celebrity Big Brother house. ITV said the decision came after “further use of inappropriate language and instances of unacceptable behaviour”.
8. Love Island: All Stars
- Date: February 12, 2025
- Complaints: 1,240
- Channel: ITV2
One in three complaints to Ofcom this year were about Love Island.
According to the regulator, its All Stars series was the subject of 1,240 complaints about “alleged bullying behaviour” between the participants.
Specifically, the complaints centred on The Only Way is Essex star Elma Pazar, who had tense moments with Ekin-Su Culculoglu and Curtis Pritchard. In one moment, she told Curtis to “shut [his] mouth” and “[bleep] off”.
Ekin-Su also asked her to “stop voting for [them] in every single game, and mocking [them] and laughing at [them]”.
7. Love Island
- Date: July 25, 2025
- Complaints: 1,296
- Channel: ITV2
This is the first of several complaints on this list targeted at Love Island series 12, and they’re all in defence of the same person: Shakira Khan.
The 2025 series attracted a total of 14,121 complaints. This episode sparked the fewest number of complaints, but they were still made out of concern for Shakira, who many viewers felt was bullied in the villa.
The July 25 airing also received complaints about Blu Chegini’s comments to Toni Laites after the Grafties, where she called her a “weirdo”.
6. Today with Samantha Washington
- Date: June 7, 2025
- Complaints: 1,302
- Channel: Sky News
On June 7, viewers accused Samantha Washington of misrepresenting a segment covering the Madleen, a vessel trying to deliver aid to Gaza.
While speaking to activist Thiago Avila, the host said: “What you’re actually carrying is really a drop in the ocean to what people in Gaza need, so really it’s a symbolic mission rather than a humanitarian one.”
Avila replied: “It’s a humanitarian mission. There’s a very big effort to be bigger than what we are.”
According to Ofcom, the complainants alleged that Washington “misrepresented the mission’s peaceful nature”.
5. Headliners
- Date: January 22, 2025
- Complaints: 1,391
- Channel: GB News
GB News has been under close scrutiny from Ofcom since it launched (in February this year, it imposed a £100,000 penalty for breaking impartiality rules).
It was a January 22 broadcast that sparked the most complaints, alleging that presenter Josh Howie linked the LGBTQ+ community to paedophiles.
During the episode of Headliners (which has since been cancelled), he spoke about US President Donald Trump’s reaction to a sermon by the bishop of Washington.
“The type of church that she belongs to, the diocese that talks about the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons, I just want to say that includes paedos. If we’re doing the full inclusion there,” he said.
Ofcom’s investigation found that the programme “broke broadcasting rules by including a highly offensive remark which was not justified by the context, falling short of generally accepted standards”.
The Good Law Project also submitted a total of 71,851 complaints about GB News.
4. Vanessa
- Date: June 10, 2025
- Complaints: 1,866
- Channel: 5
Vanessa Feltz’ Channel 5 talk show received 1,866 complaints earlier this year. During the June 10 episode, designer Karen Millen claimed that breastfeeding after six months was “selfish”.
She also called it an “addiction” that’s “weird” and “not normal”.
“There’s no benefit, is there, for a child to be breastfed beyond six months really,” she added.
In response to the complaints, Millen apologised and stressed that she “respects” women’s choices.
“The question was aimed at a three-year-old being breastfed and my thoughts on that and my answers reflected that, not the subject of breastfeeding,” she explained.
3. Love Island
- Date: July 23, 2025
- Complaints: 2,002
- Channel: ITV2
The top three complaints on Ofcom’s 2025 round-up are all about the same thing (mostly): alleged bullying towards Shakira on Love Island.
During the July 23 episode, things got tense after Conor Phillips caught Shakira having a private conversation with Harry Cooksley.
However, a “small number” of complaints were also made regarding Megan Forte Clarke’s surprise return to the villa.
2. Love Island
- Date: July 22, 2025
- Complaints: 2,509
- Channel: ITV2
The July 22 episode received complaints for the same things: alleged bullying towards Shakira and Megan’s return to the villa.
This episode ended with the reveal of Megan’s return (despite being voted out by the public), which is why it received more complaints than the next night’s episode.
1. Love Island
- Date: July 24, 2025
- Complaints: 3,547
- Channel: ITV2
July 24’s episode of Love Island attracted the most complaints by far, and according to Ofcom, they all “related to alleged bullying behaviour towards Shakira”.
Shakira spoke out about her ‘feud’ with Meg Moore over the course of the show. “I was put in a position where I had to graft and so was deemed as a threat. From then on, I was treated differently,” she explained on the Morning After podcast.
“When you are a threat to someone’s relationship you are not going to be the best of pals.”
Read more: Real reason Amber Davies was drafted in as Dani Dyer’s Strictly replacement revealed as fans furious
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think of the Ofcom complaints.