Risky joke about Sunderland on last night's I'm A Celebrity has divided opinion

It took a matter of seconds for Ant & Dec to make a joke about Sunderland on the new series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here, although some didn't take too kindly to the gag.

To kick off Sunday night's much-anticipated show, the die-hard Newcastle United fans welcomed viewers to the Australian outback with a risky introduction.

Declan Donnelly, a regular at St James' Park over the years, began the segment by letting fans know that, for the first time in the show's 21-year history, they had already dropped three celebrities into the jungle.

Ant McPartlin, who makes up the presenting duo, soon commented: "In case you're not familiar with the Australian outback, it's a barren, deeply hostile environment, that's barely fir for human habitation..."

And moments later, Dec delivered the punchline, saying: "Imagine Sunderland, but hotter" as the ITV crew burst into laughter on set.

Here's how social media reacted to the comments.

One fan said: "I'm A Celebrity not making a good start making stupid comments about Sunderland. It's about as funny as Newcastle winning the Champions League."

Another wrote: "This is why I stopped watching I'm A Celebrity b****y insulting Sunderland straight away. B****y sad," while a third commented: "Ant and Dec immediately dragging Sunderland the first chance they get. I'm turning it off."

Some viewers, however, found the joke funny. One Newcastle fan said: "I'm A Celeb gets off to a cracking start where Dec compares Sunderland to being barely fit for human habitation."

A second commented: "Ant & Dec already cracking out the Sunderland jokes hahahaha," while another wrote: "Ant & Dec on the Australian outback: “Imagine Sunderland, but hotter [laughing face emoji]."

“The Australian outback is a barren, deeply hostile environment that’s barely fit for human habituation

“Imagine Sunderland but only hotter.”

Ho-Ho-Ho Ant & Dec.

PS Newcastle will shortly be knocked out of Europe.#ImACeleb

— Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) November 19, 2023

Back in May last year, Ant and Dec celebrated with the likes of Dan Burn, Callum Wilson and Eddie Howe following Newcastle's victory against Arsenal.

The boyhood Newcastle fans were in attendance as the Magpies continued their impressive run of form with a 2-0 win.

And after the full-time whistle, a jubilant Ant McPartlin was joined by his best mate Dec at pitchside to congratulate several players, including Jacob Murphy.

Ant and Dec celebrated with the Newcastle players last night after their impressive win against Arsenal 🙌 pic.twitter.com/1zzcGqFo8X

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 17, 2022

As you can see from the footage above, they were all delighted to see the Geordie duo, who have attended games at St James' Park for decades.