Joey Essex shouldn't be on Love Island - here's the reason why (and it's not because of his age)

Essex was brought in a shock contestant on night one, meaning that one poor unsuspecting man (Sam Taylor) was sent packing less than 24 hours after arriving in the iconic villa, as Essex “stole” the girl he’d been coupled with, (Samantha Kenny). But, it’s not just his surprise introduction to the show that has rattled fans.

Many believe his age to be a problem. Essex is 33 years old, while all of the female contestants are aged between 24 and 29. X users have not held back on their opinions. One person labelled Essex ‘prehistoric’, while another said he’d heard people say he’s “a grandad and too old to be in there”. Another person branded his inclusion in the show “creepy”, owing to the age gap between himself and the female contestants

I don’t actually have an issue with the age gap between Essex and the single ladies; at most it’s nine years and at least it’s four. The woman he’s currently coupled up with is 26, meaning there’s a seven-year age gap. I can’t be the only one who knows plenty of successful and happy couples who have age gaps of around this size, so I can’t believe the amount of fuss that’s been made. I’d also like to point out that Munveer Jabbal is 30. He’s currently paired with 24-year-old Mimii Ngulube and nobody has batted an eyelid.

In addition, this is not the biggest age difference seen in Love Island history. Back in 2018, Wes Nelson and Laura Anderson had an age gap of nine years with Nelson being the joint youngest contestant that year at age 20 and Anderson being the eldest at 29. At the time, some people did blast the age gap on X, yes, but the couple also received plenty of support - although they couldn’t read it at the time because social media use is banned for contestants.

Whereas, all I’ve seen is negativity about Essex and his age and it’s really unfair. I think the problem that people actually have is that he’s in his 30s and the women are in their 20s. Apparently, public perception would have you believe there’s some big change when you leave your twenties behind and begin your 30s which means it’s inappropriate to date someone who’s still in their third decade while you are now in your fourth. . . . As a 30-year-old who has a 28-year-old boyfriend, I can say with certainty that’s not true.

I also don’t remember anyone being outraged when Jordan Ring, Marcel Somerville and Paul Knops, all of whom were 31 years old when they entered the villa in series 1, 3 and 4, respectively, made their entrances. Ring had a relationship at the time with Zoe Basia Brown, who was seven years his junior, Somerville also finished fourth place with 25-year-old Gabby Allen and Knopps was ultimately a runner-up with Anderson after her split from Nelson.

In 2024, are we really still judging age gap relationships, and age shaming in general for that matter? It’s very disappointing to say the least. I do admit, however, that I agree with the overall feeling that Essex shouldn’t be on the show . . . but it has absolutely nothing to do with his age.

Essex is best known for his appearance The Only Way is Essex (Towie), but he’s also participated in many other reality shows including I'm a Celebrity. . . Get Me Out of Here! (both the UK version and the Aussie version), The Jump, Celebs Go Dating, Celebrity Ex on the Beach, Dancing on Ice and First Dates.

In short, it would be quicker to list the shows Essex hasn’t been on - and that is why I think he shouldn’t be on Love Island. He’s already had more than enough screen time over the past 10 plus years. I’m a firm believer that anyone who has already been on one reality show shouldn’t be allowed to sign up for any others.

Think of all the hundreds of thousands of people that apply for each reality show. I just don’t think it’s fair that someone who has already spent time on a TV show should be given the opportunity to go on two shows - or many more in Essex’s case - while others miss out on appearing entirely. The Love Island producers supposedly receive more than 100,000 applications every year. Essex has said that he sent an application to the show, rather than being approached, but I’m sure as soon as bosses saw his name on the application form - and more than likely verified it actually came from him - he was straight to the top of the ‘yes’ pile.

He automatically put other hopefuls at a disadvantage because of his status as a solidified famous face. As I’ve previously written about, I wouldn’t sign up for a reality dating show myself now, but I truly feel sorry for the tens of thousands of men who applied this year who didn’t realise they were wasting their time because Essex was also typing out an application.

Somebody else really should be given a chance. Now, of course Essex deserves to find love just as much as every other person on the planet, celebrity or not, but I don’t think he needs the platform of yet another reality TV show. Step aside, Essex, and let someone new have a chance to make a name for themselves in the television industry as you have done.