Gogglebox viewers left divided after ‘disgraceful’ exchange between mother and son

One of Gogglebox‘s newer families left fans in a state of shock, after an exchange between a mother and son.

Sally and Michael from Kent joined the hit Channel 4 programme in October 2024, alongside their 17-year-old twin sons Jake and Harry. 

Friday night’s episode of the fly-on-the-wall series saw the families watch the nature documentary, The Americas, narrated by Forrest Gump star Tom Hanks

This particular installment introduced the blue-footed booby, an exotic bird, and outlined its unique mating rituals. While Michael affectionately teased that he would make a perfect blue-footed booby for Sally, the boys didn’t share their parents’ enthusiasm.

“Oh just shut the [expletive] up,” Jake said dismissively, which caused his parents to laugh uproariously.

Many fans of the show took to social media to comment on the incident, with some shocked by Jake’s use of coarse language towards his parents.

One viewer wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Jeez, if I’d told my parents to shut the [expletive] up, I’d be disappeared never to be seen again,” while another added: “What kind of decent person tells their parents to shut the [expletive] up? And what parent tolerates it?” 

A third wrote: “Telling his parents to shut the [expletive] up? And they just sat there and took like it was nothing??? I’m sorry but @ch4 do not show this family ever again. Utterly utterly disgraceful.”

© Channel 4

However, some believed that the social media uproar was an overreaction, with one fan penning: “Sense of humour does it. Grow up!

Another fan commented: “Why is everyone surprised at the guy telling his mum to stfu, she laughed so must be normal and parents allow it.”

Gogglebox’s strange snub

A few weeks ago, fans of Gogglebox found themselves distracted after noticing a peculiar, major absence from the latest episode.

Though the show featured clips from Britain’s Got Talent, Coronation Street, and Claudia Winkleman’s new quiz show One Question, viewers noticed that no BBC programmes were included, taking to social media to point out the omission.

One fan wrote on X: “They never put BBC1 or BBC2 clips on. Why? #Gogglebox.”

Another questioned the absence of a soap that aired a series of major episodes that week: “Weird that Gogglebox hasn’t shown EastEnders for its 40th anniversary #Gogglebox.”

© Channel 4

Some had been specifically expecting EastEnders to feature, with one viewer posting: “I was expecting #Gogglebox to include #EastEnders this week. Seems odd that it didn’t.”

Channel 4 has not officially addressed why BBC shows are often missing from Gogglebox.

The show does usually focus on programming from Channel 4, featuring some series from ITV and streaming services. BBC programmes are sometimes shown, but their absence has become quite the talking point among viewers.