Jordan Banjo says his children received death threats after Diversity’s BLM routine on BGT

Jordan Banjo has told how his children received death threats after Diversity’s Black Lives Matter-inspired routine on Britain’s Got Talent last year.

The dancer, 28, said that he even had cement thrown over his car after the performance attracted more than 25,000 complaints to Ofcom.

During their routine, the group illustrated the death of George Floyd, who lost his life after police officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest in Minneapolis on May 25.   

Shocking: Jordan Banjo has told how his children received death threats after Diversity’s Black Lives Matter – inspired routine on Britain’s Got Talent last year (pictured in 2020)

Speaking on The British Entrepreneur podcast, the TV star said: ‘When I’m sat at home and you’re telling me really horrible stuff like ‘your kids are so ugly, they should die’, ‘I hope your kids get caught in a house fire’.

‘It’s  crazy stuff, mad — especially since last year when we did that performance on BGT. From then, it was like a red rag to a bull.’

He added of the backlash: ‘There were some people who had a genuine grievance with it and then some people, when this whole storm was kicking off, tried to antagonise you. I’m talking thousands upon thousands of messages.

‘Even my car’s had cement thrown all over it, my Aston. It was crazy.’

Powerful: The dancer, 28, and the group performed a hard-hitting routine which amid a summary of 2020, narrated the death of George Floyd, with the dance garnering over 25,000 Ofcom complaints

Powerful: The dancer, 28, and the group performed a hard-hitting routine which amid a summary of 2020, narrated the death of George Floyd, with the dance garnering over 25,000 Ofcom complaints

Jordan shares children Cassius, three, and Mimi, 20 months, with fiancée Naomi Courts. 

Discussing how people have even targeted his home, he added: ‘I don’t live in a huge, gigantic house. I just live down a normal road. 

‘There were times when I’ve been in my office — my garage is converted — and I came out and people are trying to climb out over my garden gate. It’s really weird how people react to stuff.’

Britain’s Got Talent became the most complained about show of the decade following Diversity’s Black Lives Matter-inspired dance routine, which attracted more than 25,000 complaints to Ofcom.  

Family: 'When I’m sat at home and you’re telling me really horrible stuff like "your kids are so ugly, they should die"... it’s crazy stuff, mad'

Family: ‘When I’m sat at home and you’re telling me really horrible stuff like ‘your kids are so ugly, they should die’… it’s crazy stuff, mad’

Backlash: following on from the performance in September, Jordan revealed he's still being subjected to vile messages on social media, with haters even attacking his car with cement as he described the abuse as 'a red rag to a bull'

Backlash: following on from the performance in September, Jordan revealed he’s still being subjected to vile messages on social media, with haters even attacking his car with cement as he described the abuse as ‘a red rag to a bull’

At the time, Ofcom announced they will not investigate the complaints any further, while ITV ‘stood with Diversity’ after they featured adverts in national newspapers in support of the dance.

In January, Jordan’s brother Ashley Banjo revealed his Black Lives Matter routine on Britain’s Got Talent caused ‘division’ in his family. 

Speaking to the Daily Star, Ashley admitted that the performance was not universally praised in his family and some didn’t like it. 

Targeted: 'There were some people who had a genuine grievance with it and then some people, when this whole storm was kicking off, tried to antagonise you'

Targeted: ‘There were some people who had a genuine grievance with it and then some people, when this whole storm was kicking off, tried to antagonise you’

Reaction: 'Even my car’s had cement thrown all over it, my Aston. It was crazy'

Reaction: ‘Even my car’s had cement thrown all over it, my Aston. It was crazy’

Defiant: Britain's Got Talent was embroiled in controversy after Diversity took to the stage with a Black Lives Matter-inspired performance, sparking over 25,000 complaints to media watchdog Ofcom

Defiant: Britain’s Got Talent was embroiled in controversy after Diversity took to the stage with a Black Lives Matter-inspired performance, sparking over 25,000 complaints to media watchdog Ofcom

He said: ‘Even among my own family and friends the performance sparked conversation. 

‘There has been some negativity with my family. There was division.

‘People didn’t directly disagree with the performance but there was a conversation about if it was really necessary. I saw it happen in my own household.’

Ashley also said there are still some people in his life who ‘haven’t spoken [to him] at all’ since the performance aired. 

Honest: Ashley Banjo revealed his Black Lives Matter routine on Britain's Got Talent caused 'division' in his family

Honest: Ashley Banjo revealed his Black Lives Matter routine on Britain’s Got Talent caused ‘division’ in his family

The TV star admitted he still receives online abuse from trolls to this day over the episode, despite Ofcom not taking any action over the complaints. 

Ashley has also since admitted he has been encouraged to ramp up his BLM campaign following the ‘hate’ he received over his Diversity routine.

He would perform the same routine 100 times over, despite the fact it received so many complaints.

Ashley added that although the routine sparked backlash, it also started a dialogue which lasted weeks as he dubbed it the one of the ‘most impactful conversation starters the country has ever seen’.  

Controversy: He said: 'Even among my own family and friends the performance sparked conversation. 'There has been some negativity with my family. There was division'

Controversy: He said: ‘Even among my own family and friends the performance sparked conversation. ‘There has been some negativity with my family. There was division’