Jack Whitehall has been teasing Harry Styles at the BRIT Awards for nearly 10 years – but the singer wasn’t happy with the comedian’s sketch idea ahead of the 2026 ceremony.
The BRIT Awards host has revealed that Styles’s team gave him a “hard no” after he pitched a sketch that poked fun at his lengthy music break. Styles is set to release his fourth album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, later this year, four years after the debut of the award-winning record Harry’s House.
Speaking on The Jonathan Ross Show on Saturday (21 February), Jack revealed that he pitched “a few ideas” to Styles ahead of this weekend’s BRIT Awards.
“The first few I don’t think were appropriate,” he admitted. “There was one that was me, trekking for days to try and find him, and he’d been living in a hut, and he looked like Hagrid.
“And then it had me shaving him. It was maybe like a fantasy of mine, but that got a hard no from his team.”
This year’s BRIT Awards, taking place on Saturday (28 February) at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena, mark Whitehall’s sixth time at the helm. He hosted the show from 2018 until 2021, before returning to present again last year.
He shared the news in December with an “Ode to Manchester”, a sketch that saw him walk in front of a green screen that showed a number of iconic scenes from the city, from the Curry Mile to the set of Coronation Street.
He said in a statement at the time: “I am so excited to be coming back for this very special Brit Awards in Manchester, a place that is so important to me.
“The city I started my comedy career in, it feels like a real full circle moment returning to host this historic night at the Co-op Live, a venue that is only a stone’s throw away from the comedy club I did my first 10 minute set in all those years ago. Hopefully I get a few more laughs than I did that night. I cannot wait.”
It’s not the first time that Whitehall has set his comedic sights on Styles, with the 37-year-old dressing up like the ex One Direction star at 2015’s Royal Variety Performance. While at the 2020 BRIT Awards, Whitehall accidentally confused Styles’ sister Gemma for his date, saying: “Sister? Oh God, sorry! No, no – that’s great. Keep it in the family.”
Styles is set to perform at this year’s BRITs, marking his first live performance since his world tour ended in July 2023. He’ll be joined in the line-up of performers by Olivia Dean, who leads this year’s nominations alongside pop singer Lola Young with five each.
Dean is up for Song of the Year twice for her singles “Man I Need” and “Rein Me In” – a collaboration with fellow Artist of the Year contender Sam Fender.
Meanwhile, Lily Allen is up for Artist of the Year and Best Pop following the success of her comeback album, West End Girl.
