LOVE Island legend Chris Taylor has accused Joey Essex and Sean Stone of “going too far” – saying viewers won’t stand for it.
It comes after a total of 253 people complained about Joey, 33, and Sean, 24, behaviour towards some of their fellow contestants.
Chris, who appeared on the ITV2 dating show in 2019 and for the All Stars series last year, said there are other ways to “entertain people than constantly digging them out”.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Chris said: “I do think Joey and Sean are probably going a little bit too far with it – it’s like fair enough lads if you want to have your say but it’s important to let other people have their say and appreciate everyone has an opinion – yours isn’t anymore important than anybody else just because you say it type thing.
“I think they both need to chill out – at the end of the day they’re making a TV show and it’s causing drama.
“I don’t necessarily agree with it, I think there are other ways to entertain people than essentially digging another person out for their behaviour which they’ve already explained, so why are you still explaining yourself type thing.”
He went on: “There are two ways to look at it at the end of the day and if things like this weren’t happening it would be quite dry – we don’t want to watch TV that’s as dry as toast.
“The other side, it’s an intense environment and people get involved in each others business.
“It’s very much part of it because you can’t escape from it all. You’ve just got to get involved.”
Some fans have argued that Joey and Sean are “bullying” Mimii and Josh after repeatedly taking swipes at them in and outside of games.
Joey shocked fans when he revealed Mimii’s “secret mission” and has continued to to make jibes at the pair during the Grafties challenge and A Couple of Sorts game.
Chris, 33, explained that he could understand why fans were branding Joey and Sean “bullies” if they are constantly taking
He told us: “If people are persistently digging people out for certain things and keep bringing it back up and getting involved in other people’s business, it could tantamount to the B (bully) word.”
Some have commented that first ever celebrity bombshell Joey has made a poor career move by entering the villa.
Chris insisted that “old school” reality TV behaviour just won’t wash with a younger audience – who has “boundaries and morals”.
“I think from Joey’s perspective back in the day he was doing a lot of TV – times have changed very much so in terms of what people will stand for on TV and what constituted as bullying and too far – I think people are a lot more hyper aware of that kind of stuff now,” Chris shared.
“I think he came to TV in a time where it was all about making drama regardless of how it went down.
“I think Towie was a different environment, I think everything he’s done since is a different environment, Love Island is a different environment in the sense that the viewership is wide ranging and there is a lot of younger people that have a lot of boundaries and morals about how people conduct themselves around other people.
“That didn’t necessarily come under question as it does now, so I think he’s maybe applying an old school way of doing TV for the drama – lets face it, he is creating drama, you can see it play out – it’s him doing it for drama.
“The collateral of that sometimes mean you do hurt people but I think he’s applying an old school way of doing TV to a new age that won’t really stand for it.
“Obviously the people will decide if that’s a good career move for him afterwards.
“There’s been moments when it’s been really good TV and moments when it’s been too far.
“It was a nice little twist for the show and it got the traction for the first week which I think is important but only time will tell if it will f*** himself over or not. “
Chris went on to say that Joey knows exactly what he’s doing after rumours that he’s a “producer plant”.
He said: “I have no doubt that that boy knows exactly what he’s doing, I don’t know how much he’s been told to do by producers.
“I think he’s probably doing it off his own back, like ‘he’s got this, I know exactly what I’m doing’.
“He wants to get knighted for his contribution for reality TV to be fair to him.
“He’s done it for so long, he’s a showman and is probably just doing it off his own back.
“Or is very susceptible to the production element of it, as susceptible you are to suggestion.”
Chris has since teamed up with YouTube who have dropped a Limited Edition Collection to celebrate the rise in niche hobbies.
A new wave of unusual hobbies is sweeping over Britain this summer, with Hobby Horsing, Kintsugi, Geo-caching, and Lute Playing all rising in popularity according to YouTube.
Despite these hobbies gaining popularity, the nation is proving shy about their new talents, with over 54 per cent preferring to learn a new hobby alone or with strangers.
Whilst Brits can be hobby shy, the study found a staggering three-quarters 75 per cent consider their passions as integral to their identity; with over 59 per cent of all UK adults admitting that interesting hobbies influence how others perceive them.
As fashion and self-expression come hand in hand, YouTube has partnered with independent clothing brand Everpress to design a range of free limited edition t-shirts to empower Brits to wear their passions with pride, without fear of judgement.
The collection celebrates the rise of hobbies that are often not represented in mainstream fashion or sports brands.
Chris said: “I’m excited to be part of a campaign that encourages people to embrace their unique interests and quirks.
“With 75 per cent of the nation considering their passions an integral part of their identity, it’s an important message to have pride in your hobbies.
“As a passionate rollerskater, I love seeing niche hobbies on the rise. ’’
