‘Mr. Bean’ Star Rowan Atkinson Fears Cancel Culture

Rowan Atkinson is the latest aging comedian to bemoan cancel culture. The star famous for his character of Mr. Bean likened cancel-happy social media to a “medieval mob.”

“The problem we have online is that an algorithm decides what we want to see, which ends up creating a simplistic, binary view of society. It becomes a case of either you’re with us or against us. And if you’re against us, you deserve to be ‘cancelled’,” Atkinson said in an interview with Radio Times.

Atkinson, who has played the largely mute Bean for decades, didn’t appear to see the irony of his being mad about the possibility of being silenced.

“It’s important that we’re exposed to a wide spectrum of opinion, but what we have now is the digital equivalent of the medieval mob roaming the streets looking for someone to burn. So it is scary for anyone who’s a victim of that mob and it fills me with fear about the future,” he said.

Atkinson’s opinion puts him in league with Jerry Seinfeld and Dave Chappelle, marquee names who have spoken out against the idea of “cancel culture.” As the phenomenon is mostly internet-based, that’s exactly where fans went to vent their views on Atkinson taking up this particular gripe.