THE MOST controversial TV moments of 2025 have been revealed – with reality shows and daytime TV dominating the list.
Media agency One Day Agency (https://oneday.agency) analysed data from the Office of Communications (Ofcom) to reveal which shows sparked the most viewer complaints.
Love Island was the most complained about television show of the year, generating an astounding 15,929 complaints.
The highest volume of complaints arose on July 24, with 3,547 complaints due to bullying against Shakira Khan. Other complaints arose after contestant Dejon Noel-Williams’s behaviour toward Megan Moore was seen as gaslighting and made viewers uncomfortable.
Good Morning Britain generated the second highest number of complaints with 2,185. On September 11 the show received 354 complaints when Nels Abbey made controversial comments about Charlie Kirk and his assassination.
Most recently, the show drew 452 complaints on November 7 with viewers unhappy about how presenters handled their interview with Second World War veteran Alec Penstone in the lead up to Remembrance Sunday.
Vanessa, a tabloid talk show hosted by Vanessa Feltz, premiered in March 2025 and features celebrity guests. Although Vanessa had reported complaints on only two dates this year, the TV show had the third highest number of complaints at 1,986. On June 10, Ofcom received 1,856 complaints and 130 complaints three days later – both due to the show’s segment on breastfeeding and its benefits, which some viewers found misleading.
An episode of Big Brother which aired on September 28 amassed 1,411 complaints. The October 7 episode received 398 complaints and the live eviction episode on October 10 received 261 complaints. The majority of the complaints were due to Caroline Monk misgendering Zelah Glasson. On October 28, the show received 345 complaints that stemmed from Caroline’s behaviour towards Richard.
Celebrity Big Brother generated 1,409 complaints during its 24th series. On April 9, the show generated the highest number of complaints, with an astounding 1,010. The episode included a controversial interaction between housemates JoJo Siwa and Mickey Rourke, during which Rourke used offensive language directed at Siwa.
Headliners had 1,347 reported complaints in 2025, all generated from January 22 when presenter Josh Howie used a slur towards the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to the 1,347 complaints that Ofcom recorded, the Good Law Project also provided 71,851 complaints to Ofcom.
Today with Samantha Washington generated 1,270 complaints. They all came from a single day, June 7, when viewers objected to a presenter’s comments about the Madleen vessel, which was attempting to deliver aid to Gaza.
Britain’s Got Talent’s highest number of complaints (771) came from an episode that aired on February 22 due to a horror-themed performance. The show garnered 1,118 complaints overall.
The Brit Awards 2025, which aired on March 1, ranks ninth with 929 complaints. This Morning follows with 713 complaints, with all of the complaints coming from the August 27 episode. The majority of the complaints were about Sabrina Carpenter’s performance.
Emmerdale rounds out the top ten most complained about shows of 2025 with 737 complaints. Emmerdale’s most recent complaints stemmed from the November 10 episode, as many viewers felt the show was taking a noticeably darker path with its characters.
Alexandra Goncalves, Paid Media Manager for One Day Agency, said: “Viewer complaints reveal what really captures public attention. When audiences take the time to reach out to Ofcom, it shows that they care deeply about what they are watching.
“People do not complain about shows they feel indifferent toward. They complain because the content has struck a nerve or touched on something they feel strongly about. In many ways, complaints are a reflection of how emotionally engaged the audience is.
“Controversy does not just create headlines, it creates conversation and that is often a sign of cultural relevance.”
