Britain’s Got Talent viewers panic as KSI ‘chokes’ during live show

Eagle-eyed Britain’s Got Talent viewers grew concerned for judge KSI during this weekend’s semi-final.

The YouTube star, 32, first appeared on the ITV panel last year, sitting in for Bruno Tonioli due to his prior Dancing with the Stars commitments in America. KSI also filled Simon Cowell’s chair when he took time off after Liam Payne died.

And when it was confirmed this year that Bruno would not be returning, KSI was promoted to full-time judge status, sitting beside longtimers Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon.

While his feedback sometimes divides audiences, many were worried for him tonight when he appeared to choke during the live show.

After an ad break, hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly spoke to the camera while the judges larked around between themselves, awaiting the next performance.

KSI, however, couldn’t stop coughing.

Taking to X, panicked viewers asked if he was ‘OK’, as the former professional boxer drank his water but continued struggling.

‘@KSI are you ok? Was you choking on your water’, wrote @Steff2804 on X.

‘Was KSI choking ?’, asked @Sarahessex73.

‘Did anyone notice KSI was choking and no one was paying attention?’, wrote @SophieSharpie, while @rozlaws quipped he was ‘quietly choking to death on live TV’.

‘Legit no one even helped him lmao’, replied @domineeekuk.

‘Is KSI okay there. Someone should check on him. He was choking’, added a bothered @ZainabZaman19.

Thankfully, KSI – real name Olajide Olayinka Williams ‘JJ’ Olatunji – did seem to be fine, as he continued with the show, albeit with a noticeably hoarse voice when giving his comments to the next act.

This week also saw him granted the Golden Buzzer, which is assigned to one panel member each week and holds the power to send an act through to the final.

Following a string of epic performances, KSI pressed the coveted buzzer for daredevil fire-juggler Liwei Yang, who was left in tears.

‘Oh my God, that was phenomenal!’, KSI declared.

‘Doing that with your husband by your side, that must have been magical.’

Not everyone agreed with his choice, though, as chants to ‘Push the gold’ for aerial artist Mizuki Shinagawa filled the studio to the point where the judges could barely hear themselves speak.

‘Mizuki Shinagawa is absolutely incredible. The talent she has with the silks is out of this world’, wrote @WhoPotterVian.

‘What is wrong with #KSI why didn’t he press the Golden Buzzer for Mizuki she was incredible!!!!’, raged @Rini78823.

@RyanSoapKing25 was also ‘captivated’ by the performer, while Amanda called it ‘out of this world’ and even KSI admitted it was ‘breathtaking’.

KSI has had a turbulent couple of weeks with the public, as he became embroiled in scandal when a 2012 clip came to light.

In the video, the musician made a vile ‘joke’ about rape, telling a female character while gaming: ‘Mate, you’re getting raped. She is so getting raped.’

He also told his viewers that he wanted to ‘smack’ her ‘in the face so hard’ before referring to her as a ‘dumb b***h’.

KSI added : ‘If she gets raped, I’m not even going to feel sorry for her.’

The video is no longer live on his channel.

Among criticisms was a statement from Lucy Duckworth of rape support organisation The Survivors Trust, who told The Sun: ‘Trivialising rape creates violence and leads to loss of life.

‘We can’t justify it. You can’t joke about somebody else’s lived experience of being victimised.

‘Unless you’ve experienced it yourself, then you shouldn’t be commenting on it at all.’

KSI also came under fire when a 2017 video of him joking about hitting a pregnant woman emerged.

He has not addressed the clips since.

Source: https://metro.co.uk/2026/05/09/britains-got-talent-viewers-panic-ksi-chokes-live-show-28302750/