Comedian declares Hugh Laurie 'can't be canceled' as actor comes to Sophie Cunningham's defense

The comments came during an exchange with comedian who pressed Laurie to clarify his views after the actor initially posted a dry observation on X about biological height advantage in professional basketball. Linehan called Lauries indirect wording "cowardly" in a now-deleted post, prompting the actor to deliver a blunt response.

Laurie, best known for playing Dr. Gregory House in the hit drama "House," then clarified his position on X. "Firstly, f--- off; secondly no, I dont believe men should compete against women. I thought Id made that pretty clear. If youd looked. But obviously you must get onto your next," he wrote.

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Linehan pressed Laurie further, telling him to "just say that you support Sophie Cunningham in her fight for fair sports and stop trying to be arch." Laurie responded:

"You started it. Cowardly to f--- off is the going rate of exchange around here. And yes, I support Sophie Cunningham. And you, some of the time," Laurie posted Monday.

Linehan then apologized for his reaction, writing, "Fair dos. I apologise for my knee-jerkiness. And thank you. I would never have had what career I had without 'A Bit Of Fry and Laurie' to aspire towards."

The subsequent X exchange quickly went viral, racking up millions of views as users debated Lauries stance. Some criticized the actor for opposing transgender athletes competing in womens sports, while others praised the Hollywood star for publicly supporting womens sports.

Comedian and political commentator Tim Young told that Lauries established career gives him more freedom to voice his opinion without fear of being canceled.

"Its so rare that someone from Hollywood would stand up for women in womens sports that its exciting when someone does at this point. Hugh Laurie aka Dr. House simply said he stood with Sophie Cunningham, and now he gets to see the ugly side of the left for the first time," Young said, adding, "Laurie cant be canceled."

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Young also argued that financial considerations can influence what performers say publicly: "Comedians always stand at the forefront of social commentary, but many of their opinions come from who pays them. Here we see someone established like Laurie against someone who is afraid of being canceled. I think thats a heavier factor than anything else."

"Unfortunately, a lot of times, comedians, albeit the loudest among the people, are some of the dumbest, same with actors and musicians, and similar to every other issue, you should side here with common sense, not what the famous guy said," Young said. "This time it just so happens that hes right and my favorite TV doctor of all time," he added.

The debate over transgender athletes competing in womens sports has taken center court in the WNBA, where Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has recently said women and girls should not have to compete against biological men.

Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Laurie and Linehan

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