Comedian Romesh Ranganathan has revealed that his wife, Leesa, was left “incredibly upset” after receiving a racist message targeting her marriage to him, bringing the abuse he has faced online into his family life.
Ranganathan, who has been married to Leesa since 2009, spoke about the incident during an intimate performance at a London pub. The comedian, known for his work on television and as a star of The Celebrity Traitors, told the audience that racist messages had become a regular part of his online experience.
“I’m not exaggerating, I get racist messages every day online,” he said.
The abuse recently extended to Leesa, who works as a drama teacher. According to the Daily Mail, Ranganathan initially tried to comfort his wife with humour, making a joke about their home and swimming pool. However, he admitted that the message had affected him because his wife had been targeted simply for being married to him.
“I felt bad about it, though. Even though it is not my fault, I am the reason that Leesa received that message. She is upset now because she is married to me. That’s not a nice thing to contend with,” he said.
Ranganathan later returned to humour during the performance, joking that Leesa would not have received the message if she had married a white man, although she would also not have a swimming pool.
Behind the joke was a more personal concern: the racist abuse directed at him had now reached someone close to him who was not responsible for his public profile or his career.
The comedian has also spoken publicly about racist comments directed at the couple’s three sons, Alex, 16, Theo, 14, and Charlie, 11. Earlier in 2026, he discussed their experiences with his Wolf and Owl podcast co-host, Tom Davis.
“The boys have had racist abuse. Not loads, not as much as I did, but they have had comments,” Ranganathan said.
He recalled an incident at school in which one of his sons was talking to a female friend when another pupil made a remark suggesting that he would eventually marry his cousin. Ranganathan also said his eldest son, Alex, had been subjected to a racist slur while walking around school.
“Alex has had the P-word said to him when he’s been walking around school,” he said, referring to a racist term directed at people of South Asian heritage.
The experiences have left Ranganathan questioning where children learn the language and attitudes behind such abuse. He suggested that racist remarks made by pupils could reflect what they hear at home.
“At a certain point, you’ve got to go, ‘They’re obviously hearing that at home,'” he said.
He acknowledged that this possibility had changed how he viewed the parents of children who made racist comments. Hearing about such incidents, he explained, made him question the attitudes being passed on within their families.
“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,” he said.
Ranganathan’s account highlights how racist abuse can extend beyond the person it initially targets, affecting partners and children in their everyday lives. His comments also raise questions about how racist attitudes are learned and repeated among younger generations, including in school environments where children should be able to learn and socialise without facing such treatment.
