A British TV host has apologized for accidentally misgendering House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy during the red carpet premiere of the series’ second season.
Sue Perkins was subtly corrected by House of the Dragon co-star Matt Smith after she continued to misgender D’Arcy as “she” during an interview at the event in London’s Leicester Square. D’Arcy identifies as non-binary and uses “they/them” pronouns.
“I was talking to Emma, and she was saying, she was talking about how amazing that end scene was… and she gave you all the credit,” Perkins said to Smith, who replied, “I can’t take the credit, but I have to say they are… aren’t they brilliant? They are absolutely brilliant and you’re in for a real treat with Emma this year, I think.”
After copping flack on Twitter for the error, Perkins posted a response to X labeling it a “shitty mistake.”
“Had loads of stuff going on in my earpiece and so wasn’t as focused as I should have been. No excuses though. These things matter and I feel terrible about it,” Perkins continued. “Am a massive fan of their work and would never want to be disrespectful x.”
D’Arcy has been relatively open about their identity. In Oct. 2022, they told E! News on the Golden Globes red carpet that they felt like they had to “pretend to present as a women in order to find success in this industry.”
Describing the situation as “unsustainable,” they decided to “stop pretending.”
