Hugh Laurie has publicly backed WNBA guard Sophie Cunningham while making clear that he opposes biological men competing in women’s sports.
The “House” star clarified his position during an exchange on X with comedian Graham Linehan, who criticized Laurie for initially addressing the issue indirectly.
“Firstly, f— off; secondly no, I don’t believe men should compete against women. I thought I’d made that pretty clear. If you’d looked. But obviously you must get onto your next,” Laurie wrote.
Linehan then asked the actor to directly support Cunningham, who has spoken out about transgender athletes participating in women’s sports.
“You started it. ‘Cowardly’ to ‘f— off’ is the going rate of exchange around here. And yes, I support Sophie Cunningham. And you, some of the time,” Laurie responded.
Linehan later apologized, writing, “Fair dos. I apologise for my knee-jerkiness. And thank you. I would never have had what career I had without ‘A Bit Of Fry and Laurie’ to aspire towards.”
The exchange quickly attracted millions of views and sparked debate online, with some users criticizing Laurie’s position and others praising him for publicly supporting Cunningham.
Comedian and political commentator Tim Young also defended Laurie, arguing that his established career gives him greater freedom to express controversial opinions.
“It’s so rare that someone from Hollywood would stand up for women in women’s sports that it’s exciting when someone does at this point. Hugh Laurie, aka Dr. House, simply said he stood with Sophie Cunningham, and now he gets to see the ugly side of the left for the first time,” Young said, adding, “Laurie can’t be canceled.”
Comedian declares Hugh Laurie ‘can’t be canceled’ after actor defends Sophie Cunningham https://t.co/nwWdsJ9u8n pic.twitter.com/FdXI0SLZ3a
— New York Post (@nypost) August 13, 2026
