Romesh Ranganathan's Wife Labeled 'Race Traitor' by Online Troll

Comedian Romesh Ranganathan revealed that his wife, Leesa, was targeted by an online troll who called her a "race traitor" for marrying him. Ranganathan, 48, stated that he receives racist messages daily, but the abuse recently became personal when his wife, 47, encountered her first such message on social media.

"I'm not exaggerating, I get racist messages every day online," Ranganathan explained during a comedy material test show. "My wife, Leesa, someone messaged her on Instagram and said, 'You are a race traitor because you married one of them. You are no longer welcome among the whites.'"

Ranganathan recounted advising his wife to focus on their comfortable life, saying, "Here's my advice: look at our house. You've come over to the dark side, and it's working pretty f***ing well for you. Cry those tears into the swimming pool."

He acknowledged the emotional toll, adding, "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."

The comedian noted that while his wife would not have received such a message if she were married to a white man, she also wouldn't have the same lifestyle. He made these comments at a pub in New Malden while testing new material for his upcoming tour, "Romesh Ranganathan Will Change Your Life."

Ranganathan has previously spoken about his sons experiencing racist abuse. He shares three sons – Alex, Theo, and Charlie – with his wife, a drama teacher. The family resides in Crawley, West Sussex.

"The boys have had racist abuse. Not loads, not as much as I did, but they have had comments," he shared on his podcast "Wolf And Owl." He recalled an incident where one of his sons was told by another student, "I don't know why you're bothering to chat to her. You're going to end up marrying your cousin." He also mentioned that his son Alex has been called a derogatory term.

Ranganathan also shared personal experiences from his youth, including being spat on by a classmate and being attacked by skinheads outside a club during his university years. His mother emigrated from Sri Lanka to Crawley when she was 19, joining his late father, Ranga.