Who is Katie Hopkins? British comedian's arrest claim draws a Jimmy Kimmel comparison online

Last month, a video surfaced online in which Katie Hopkins was seen claiming she was interviewed under caution by the police in the UK for reportedly making a joke during a live broadcast on her website and her comedy pub night, Katie’s Arms. Katie Hopkins, 50, is a British comedian, right-wing political commentator, media personality, businesswoman, and former columnist.

The video of Hopkins from August 5, standing in front of Exeter Police Station, was made viral by American conservative commentator and Blaze Media CEO Glenn Beck on his official Instagram and Facebook pages.

“I have attended this interview under protest as I was threatened with arrest if I did not attend. I consider this interview and the police investigation as an unlawful interference with my right to freedom of expression,” Katie was heard saying in the clip, which she originally posted on TikTok.

She continued, “I run a comedy pub night called the ‘Katie’s Arms,’ live on my Instagram at 8 p.m. on Fridays for 30 minutes. My audience choose to join me on my Instagram channel live. If anyone was offended, that is their choice. I do not republish or upload this content.”

Katie Hopkins added that it was “ridiculous” that her comedic speech was subjected to a “criminal investigation.” During another interview with Glenn Beck, Hopkins claimed her joke about her own epilepsy was “perceived” to be offensive.

In the wake of Katie Hopkins’ interrogation and potential arrest claim, the internet is now drawing comparisons to Jimmy Kimmel’s brief suspension by ABC for his comment on the assassin of late American conservative commentator, Charlie Kirk.

Here are a couple of reactions from the social networking site X.

“So let me get this straight: Jimmy Kimmel suspended for two days = end of democracy. Katie Hopkins arrested for telling an ‘improper’ joke = law of the land. Starmer's England seems more and more like a dystopian nightmare. And the left is like an insane asylum,” a netizen wrote.

“So, THIS is what suppression of free speech actually looks like... not Jimmy Kimmel getting a long weekend off & a stern talking to by ABC execs. @KTHopkins, you are a warrior for the truth. Do not give up. Please, everyone, pray for Katie Hopkins & for true freedom in the UK,” another netizen wrote.

Neither Katie Hopkins nor Jimmy Kimmel has responded to the comparison.

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Exploring the life and career of Katie Hopkins

Katie Hopkins was born on February 13, 1975, in Barnstaple, England. She attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and had a 35-year contract with the British Army Intelligence Corps, and wanted to be a colonel. Later, she went to the University of Exeter and studied economics.

Hopkins is a multihyphenate who was a contestant on season 3 of the BBC reality series, The Apprentice, in 2007. Later, in 2015, she also appeared on the 15th season of the reality show, Celebrity Big Brother, as well as I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

Later, Katie became a columnist for several British publications, including The Sun and MailOnline. Subsequently, she hosted her own talk show, If Katie Hopkins Ruled the World. She also briefly worked as a presenter for the radio station LBC.

Hopkins also unsuccessfully ran as an independent candidate for the 2009 European Parliament Election, representing the South West England Constituency. She was also a business consultant for a year in NYC before returning to the UK as a global brand consultant for the Met Office in 2006.

According to IMDb, she also acted in a few TV shows and movies, including An Evening with Joelle Westwood (2023), Love in Harmony Valley (2020), and 8 Out of 10 Cats (2005).

Katie Hopkins has been married twice, first to Damian McKinney for a year in 2004 and later to Mark Cross in 2010. McKinney was a former Royal Marine and the founder and CEO of McKinney Rogers. He and Hopkins share two daughters. Her current husband, Mark Cross, is a design manager. Their wedding was filmed as part of the Sky Living reality game show, Four Weddings.

According to her website, she was deported from Australia and is banned from South Africa.

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Exploring Katie Hopkins’ epilepsy battle

Katie Hopkins began suffering from epilepsy in her teenage years. In February 2014, she sat down with The Guardian and shared that she was hospitalized “26 times in the last nine months.” She added that the epilepsy got worse during sleep, and she didn’t respond to prescribed medicines.

"When I have a fit at night, my arms come out. They dislocate. So, I have to go to the hospital to have them relocated… So, we all have crap to deal with in our lives. I’m hard on myself. Get on with it. Move on. Get your arms put back in," Katie added.

Around the same time, Katie Hopkins told Deccan Aitkenhead that her seizures occurred over 10 times a night. She shared the same during her 2015 interview with The Times. That same year, Hopkins injured herself on the street during an episode.

In 2016, Katie underwent brain surgery to relieve her of the epileptic symptoms. She shared the news on X by posting, “I am no longer epileptic,” despite having some complications during the procedure.

According to The Independent, her military career ended when she had an epileptic seizure on the parade square during a show. Katie told The Guardian in 2014 that she never talked about it as she saw it as a “failing.” However, she hardly spoke about the reason as it sounded like an “excuse.”

Her recent self-deprecating epilepsy joke is being investigated under the Communications Act 2003 of the UK. She also took to her 1.4 million-strong Instagram on Tuesday and wrote against a picture of herself:

"Fire me. Deport me. Arrest me. Imprison me. But you will not stop me. The corrupt British police can kiss my tattooed a**."

She added in the caption:

"Keep the faith, good people. Never asking for agreement. Never asking to be liked. Just standing in my truth. Onwards we go. Towards the b*stards."

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Throughout her career, Hopkins faced a number of controversies and legal issues, including a 2017 libel case by English cookbook author and activist John Monroe, and her controversial tweets about the Manchester Arena Bombing, for which she was fired by LBC.