Sophie Cunningham earned more than a few enemies when she said that men have no place in women's sports. But she also gained fans and supporters, and they far outnumber the haters. That's because the vast majority of people agree with Cunningham, even if they never say so publicly.
It's just common sense that men don't belong in women's sports and safe spaces, even if those men say they're women. The WNBA itself is about to prove it agrees with Cunningham, too, as it works to figure out how to stop former NBA players from joining the league. But that's a story for another time.
Right now, it turns out Cunningham has another famous ally in her corner: actor Hugh Laurie.
Laurie, probably best known for his eponymous role on the medical drama "House," was also part of the British sketch comedy show "A Bit of Fry & Laurie" and "Jeeves and Wooster," (based on the works of P.G. Wodehouse) with Stephen Fry, voiced Albus Dumbledore in the full-cast audio editions of the Harry Potter series, and has more than 130 other acting credits to his name. He's been nominated for numerous awards, including ten Primetime Emmys and five Golden Globes. He won a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe in 2017 for his role on "The Night Manager."
"House" star HUGH LAURIE: "I don't believe men should compete against women."
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) August 11, 2026
This is the post that started it:
Strange this whole broigus should happen in professional basketball, where 99.9% of the world are, effectively, ‘women’. Per Pablo Torre of Sports Illustrated, if you’re an American man between 20 and 40 years of age and 7 feet tall or more, there’s a 17% chance you’re already…
— Hugh Laurie (@hughlaurie) August 9, 2026
And then Graham Linehan, who was actually detained by police at Heathrow for his supposedly "anti-trans" views, chimed in. Those posts, which were later deleted, read in part, "Do you think men should be allowed to compete in women’s sports? Yes or no?"
Laurie shot back.
Firstly, f**k off; secondly no, I don’t believe men should compete against women. I thought I’d made that pretty clear. If you’d looked. But obviously you must get onto your next…
— Hugh Laurie (@hughlaurie) August 9, 2026
You started it. ‘Cowardly’ to ‘f**k off’ is the going rate of exchange around here. And yes, I support Sophie Cunningham. And you, some of the time.
— Hugh Laurie (@hughlaurie) August 10, 2026
Linehan apologized.
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. https://t.co/CkS9VwxzKN
— Graham Linehan (@Glinner) August 10, 2026
While the exchange itself was a little heated, the truth remains: Sophie Cunningham is right, and so are her supporters.
Meanwhile, none of his actual fans are disappointed by this.
No he doesn't... pic.twitter.com/slrAEYrEW4
— Gay Not Queer (@Gaynotqueer1) August 11, 2026
Women have rights, and they should be protected in their sports, locker rooms, hospital wards, and other private spaces. This isn't hard, and only the trans activist crowd finds this problematic. Unfortunately for them, they're in the minority here.
Editor’s Note: Hollywood, academia, and liberal elites are out of touch with the average American.
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