Boy George, the English pop musician who regularly wears androgynous glam-rock fashions, has been cast in the most recent season of the British reality TV competition I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here.
But while it might sound like fun to watch Boy George and other celebrities struggle to survive in the jungle wilderness, one person especially despises the idea: the male escort that Boy George allegedly imprisoned and beat in his apartment.
“I still see the monster that he is every time I see him,” Norwegian model and male escort Audun Carlsen recently told The Mirror.
In April 2007, Carlsen met Boy George (whose birth name is George O’Dowd) off of a gay social network for an erotic photoshoot inside of O’Dowd’s east London apartment.
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When the two men met a second time, O’Dowd believed that Carlsen had stolen personal photos from his laptop. So, Carlsen said that O’Dowd and his friend handcuffed Carlsen to a bed and proceeded to beat him with a metal chain in the interest of recovering the photos — Carlsen denied ever taking anything from O’Dowd. O’Dowd denied ever beating Carlsen.
In December 2008, a British court convicted O’Dowd for Carlsen’s false imprisonment and assault. The musician partially blamed his actions on a cocaine bender mixed with a psychotic episode, but the court sentenced him to 15 years in prison and ordered him to pay Carlsen £5,000 (about $5,766).
The judge in the case said, “Whilst I accept that Mr. Carlsen’s physical injuries were not serious or permanent, in my view there can be no doubt that your premeditated callous and humiliating handcuffing and detention of Mr. Carlsen shocked, degraded, and traumatized him.”
O’Dowd served only 4 months in prison and was released early due to good behavior.
Now, fast forward nearly 14 years later: Boy George was reportedly paid at least £500,000 (nearly $576,542) to appear in the aforementioned reality show.
“Had I been a woman and he did what he did, he would never have been given the platform,” Carlsen said, criticizing the musician’s booking on the show. “I think giving him this sort of platform and a record fee sends the wrong message to survivors of violence and abuse and is plain wrong.”
Carlsen noted that if Boy George dislikes being in the wilderness during the show, the musician can just say “I’m a celebrity… get me out of here.”
“I couldn’t do that when I was chained to his wall,” Carlsen said.
Boy George’s representative told Metro that the musician served his time and “has he been a pillar of society” who has remained sober ever since.
“We are very proud of him for his rehabilitation,” the spokesperson added. “Everyone is entitled to a second chance and George has certainly earned it.”
The show’s new season premiered in Britain on November 6.
Vince
I can definitely see his point. I’d be pissed too.
abfab
I was pissed having to see the Karma Chamelion video every night at the bars…. Boy cruising up and down the Mississippi in that horrible river paddle boat. What was actualy going on there!
ShiningSex
First off being an escort is a risk and no they don’t deserve to be attacked, but come on.
The story sounds not quite the whole truth. Boy George did his time, get over it. If it wasn’t long enough, protest and changed laws.
People have done worse and got NOTHING. Look at Trump. Rape women and assaulted them and became president.
LifeinShaw
@abfab lol I never liked that song either.
abfab
I know!!! That, and Come on Ilene…tooorah loo! OMG…awful!
abfab
@ShinySex…You are so right, and besides the club kids in NYC were doing far more terrible things to one another……….it was almost expected of them. Boy and Martha Stewart both had excellent domestic skills which helped them get out on good behaviour. I love that term.
BLAKENOW
In the past few moronic years of Me Too , out of all the cancelled carnage due to only allegations ( most proved to be false) I never understood why this convicted sick F*ck was given pass to globally tour and star in anything he pleased , seriously he’s just as bad as Gary Glitter (look him up) yet you see BG on every chat show you can think of, and James Franco adn Johnny Depp are the bad people? Such Bullh*t, this crap has to stop.
ShiningSex
James and Johnny are garbage but that’s another story
GlobeTrotter
Did I read that right?! He only served FOUR MONTHS out of a 180 month sentence?? Is this what passes for justice in the UK??
What kind of “good behavior” could possibly entitle anyone to walk free after having served just 2% of their prison sentence? Was he handing out blowjobs to the prison guards??
What an outrage!
juan47
The original article says: “But he was convicted of assault and false imprisonment and jailed for 15 months”
abfab
OJ chopped off two peoples heads….etc.etc…And you’re questioning the UK way of doing things?
ShiningSex
I love Boy George. The real crime is that queens buy RuPaul’s music. The worst piece of crap ever put to music!!!
What about all of those awful queens who think they can sing putting out their crappy iTunes?!?!?!?!!!
Oh wait….what was the question again? LOL
abfab
The Super Model video is still one of the best things Ru did. YOU BETTA WORK! After that, I really couldn’t tell you the name of any other song she did. Kevin Aviance, please…..
Joshua333
“Served his time,” yeah no.
LumpyPillows
Actually, yeah. Facts matter.
bachy
ok so some sketchy whore who came to make a porn video for a rich, drug addicted Boy George 15 years ago is complaining now about a recovered Boy George getting work on television? Uh, sorry sister no sympathy from my court. Maybe rethink your own life choices.
AussieDave
There is an error in the article. I thought 15 years seemed too large under British law even for an aggravated assault. According to Wikipedia , he was sentenced to 15 months (not 15 years) in prison. He was released after 4 months and required to wear an ankle monitor and submit to a curfew for the remainder of his sentence.
kevkev
God forbid that Queerty.com or the people who comment on this site should actually report or publish remarks based on facts!
LumpyPillows
Yeah, I’m not happy about a lot of people. I just keep moving forward.
sweetypie
I’m having a really hard time understanding why people, spectators, Twitter-users, Queerty readers… non-victims of SA, care so much/are so outraged about something that didn’t happen to them and happened to somebody else? First comment right off the bat, “I’d be pissed too!” And it’s like, but why? I really am having a hard time with this perpetually butthurt culture we’re living in today.
abfab
Oh sweety, people come here because they really don’t care so much about anything! This would not be the site. Have you browsed the topics lately?