"you are no longer welcome among the whites”
Romesh Ranganathan opened up about racism and revealed that his wife Leesa was branded a “race traitor” by an online troll for marrying the comedian.
The comedian explained that he receives racist messages online every day.
The abuse had also targeted his wife, whom he married in 2009, with one troll telling her she was no longer welcome among white people because of her relationship with him.
Romesh said the message described Leesa as a “race traitor because you married one of them”.
Romesh revealed it went on to say “you are no longer welcome among the whites”, leaving her “incredibly upset”.
He recalled how he attempted to reassure his wife with a joke about their home and lifestyle.
“I said, ‘Here’s my advice: look at our house. You’ve come over to the dark side, and it’s working pretty f***ing well for you. Cry those tears into the swimming pool’.”
But despite responding with humour, Romesh admitted that he still felt bad about the abuse directed at Leesa:
“She is upset now because she is married to me. That’s not a nice thing to contend with.
“If she was married to a white guy, she wouldn’t have got that message, but she also wouldn’t have a pool.”
Romesh and Leesa first met while working as teachers at Hazelwick School in Crawley, where she taught drama and he taught maths.
The couple married in 2009 and have three sons together: Alex, Theo and Charlie.
The comedian has previously spoken about his wife’s attitude towards being the subject of his comedy routines, explaining that she understands the distinction between his performances and their private life.
He added:
“People often ask me if she minds me talking about her, but she genuinely sees it all as just comedy, and therefore meaningless.”
Romesh Ranganathan has also spoken publicly about the racist abuse experienced by his children.
Earlier in 2026, he revealed that his sons had suffered what he described as “abhorrent” racist abuse from other pupils at their school in West Sussex.
He subsequently criticised the parents of the children involved, suggesting that the behaviour could reflect attitudes they had encountered at home.
He said: “At a certain point, you’ve got to go, ‘They’re obviously hearing that at home’.
“So whenever I see that, or I hear that a kid’s done it, the next time I see their parents, I’m thinking ‘you’re racist’, right? And that’s a horrible thing.”
Romesh is currently appearing in the second season of the BBC’s Celebrity Traitors, where his sharp observations and strategic gameplay have earned praise from fellow contestants and viewers, with many regarding him as one of the strongest Faithfuls in the competition.
