- Ruby Wax expressed frustration with Louis Theroux, accusing him of mimicking her interview style.
- She claimed their similar careers caused her to be overlooked and led to personal resentment.
- Ruby has discussed her jealousy and tension with Louis in multiple interviews, referencing their shared career trajectory.
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As I’m A Celebrity star Ruby Wax storms the jungle with her larger-than-life personality, fans are rediscovering her long-running clash with Louis Theroux.
The American-British actor and comedian, 72, was once renowned for her witty, high-profile presenting career that catapulted her into stardom in the 90s through her BBC show, When Ruby Wax Met, where she interviewed names like OJ Simpson and Donald Trump.
Since then, however, she has spoken about her displeasure towards her fellow British presenting icon for infringing on her territory by accusing him of copying her USP.
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Louis, 55, rose to prominence as an on-the-ground BBC presenter in the late 90s and early 00s with his immersive and quirky interviewing style and ability to find himself in the most bonkers situations as a result.
As his profile rose, so did the calibre of his interviewees and, alongside his more investigative work, he is well-known for his one-to-one sit-downs with celebrities to uncover their life stories.
In a 2019 interview on the Adam Buxton podcast, she was asked about the tension between the two.
She said: ‘I knew you were going to say that. Can we not discuss it? Everything we did, he took. I’ve moved on. I have a new career but if you say that word [Louis] to me, I’ll vomit.’
‘I’ve evolved but there’s still a little bit of anger.’
Responding directly to the statement during the Edinburgh TV Festival that year, Louis said: ‘I also feel like people resenting you is kind of a compliment, not to be glib about it. I feel bad for her. I feel bad about it. And, at the same time, a little part of me is flattered that she would be so annoyed.’
In 2020, she appeared on Louis’ BBC Grounded With podcast where she clarified her comments, explaining that she caught up on his work that very morning before they recorded their chat.
‘It’s not you, it’s what you brought up which is jealousy, envy, my failure, my dad’s disapproval… It’s my reality.
‘This morning I did look, I see what you’re doing. It’s great. You’re good, it’s what I should’ve been doing. Except I came out of Girls On Top [an ITV show from 1985 to 1986], I was a persona – that’s how I made my money.’
She added that the parallel between their careers has haunted her for decades.
‘[Your] name kept coming up over and over again, that it wasn’t even your name anymore.
‘If I get in a taxi, it happens maybe more than once a week. They will say to me, “Did you used to do what Louis Theroux did?” Or they say, “What happened to you?”,’ she explained.
Elsewhere, on the podcast Dish with Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett in 2023, she explained why his name was banned, sharing: ‘He was my nemesis.
‘I was quite bitter and angry, and then I had to give him two BAFTAs, not one, but two, so I forbade my children to ever use the name Louis. It’s forbidden.’
Certainly, there was plenty of coincidence with Ruby’s talk show running from 1996 to 1998 and Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends airing from 1998 to 2000.
After her show was axed, she even went so far as to say Louis was ‘taking food out of my mouth and my children’s.’
As for whether she’ll strike up any new feuds on I’m A Celebrity, it remains to be seen. So far, she seems to have become part of an unlikely trio with young influencers Aitch and Angry Ginge – even learning lingo like leng ting in a bid to bond.
I’m A Celebrity airs at 9pm on ITV1.
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