8 of Jedward’s best Twitter moments

Long after the days of The X Factor and Eurovision, the quiff-sporting pop duo John and Edward Grimes – better known by the simple portmanteau, Jedward - have become a completely different phenomenon.

While the pair are still sharing music online, the Irish twins are perhaps more well-known now for their posts on Twitter, where John and Edward certainly don’t hold back.

The duo went viral last week for comparing their freshly shaved haircuts to American rapper Eminem – coining the clever phrase, Jeminem. They also made headlines on Monday for claiming that fellow X Factor stars Little Mix and One Direction were “legally f**ked in contracts”, and calling judge Simon Cowell “nothing but a bad facelift”.

With all this in mind, we thought it wsas about time we rounded up some of their best Twitter moments.

Last week, the pair appeared on Ireland’s The Late Late Show to shave off their signature hairstyles for charity.

Announcing the news on 23 March, Jedward said they would lose the quiffs to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society.

It comes after their mother Susanna died of cancer in 2019.

“We hope all the funds raised will contribute to a cancer-free future. This is such a good cause, and we’re sending so much strength and love to all those suffering with cancer,” they said.

In an update posted after the hair was chopped, the duo revealed that more than £2.5 million had been raised for the Irish charity as a result of their fundraising efforts.

On Wednesday, Jedward called on Keir Starmer to tell fellow Labour MP Rosie Duffield that trans women are women, which caused them to be blocked by the female politician.

Their tweet was posted on the same day that the LGBTQ+ community marked Trans Day of Visibility, and saw them ask the Labour leader “when is [he] going to stand up and support trans rights”?

After they were blocked from following Duffield’s Twitter account, Jedward responded: “Proud to be blocked cuz the transgender community blocked you, Rosie Duffield! Happy you got the message.”

Duffield, who represents Canterbury, has faced accusations of alleged transphobia after tweeting that “only women have a cervix” in August. A month later, a lesbian member of her team quit over “troubling” and “offensive” views which the staff member considered to be transphobic.

Following the backlash over her tweet on cervixes, Duffield took to Facebook and said: “I am, and always have been, completely supportive of trans rights. I have spent decades campaigning for equality and supporting LGBT+ rights.

“We need to bring together women’s and trans groups to ensure we progress and protect hard won rights both through the law, and culturally,” she said.

It isn’t the first time that Jedward have called on Starmer to take action, as the pair tweeted on 15 March they “don’t really know who you are” and that his actions as leader “are kinda pointless”.

The pair are strong supporters of the trans community, having criticised J K Rowling – another woman who has faced accusations of transphobia – in a tweet from September.

When anti-lockdown protestors marched down the streets of London in March, Jedward mocked them with a rather NSFW tweet.

It was reported that thousands of maskless individuals took part in the demonstration, which led to more than 30 people being arrested by the police.

Not afraid to speak their mind, Jedward commented on the protest by describing it as “the biggest COVID orgy”.

“No masks for protection! Just flag sh**gers sh**ging on the streets,” they tweeted.

The pair are no strangers to calling out irresponsible behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic, telling influencers travelling to Dubai that the country still has coronavirus “but doesn’t have rights for LGBTQ+ [people]”.

“Stop promoting countries where it’s criminal to kiss the one you love,” they said.

Elsewhere, as the debate over a statue of Winston Churchill continued, the Irish duo proposed an unusual solution.

The monument, located in Parliament Square, was defaced with spray paint during a protest in June last year in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, with the text reading “Churchill was a racist”.

Since then, the former Prime Minister and his statue has been the subject of a heated discussion over claims the wartime leader held racist views.

“I do not admit, for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. 

“I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place,” Churchill told the Palestine Royal Commission in 1937.

With commentators either side of the political spectrum arguing over whether Churchill’s legacy should be celebrated or critiqued, Jedward decided to wade in by targeting a well-known broadcast journalist.

“Get that Winston Churchill statue and f**k it into Piers Morgan’s back garden it has no place in today’s society,” they tweeted.

Morgan later clapped back at the popstars, saying he’d be “honoured” to have the statue in his garden.

“Churchill saved Britain from the Nazis and contributed more to society every time he breathed than you talentless disrespectful clowns have down in your combined 58 years of gormless tuneless imbecility,” he replied.

It isn’t just Piers Morgan who Jedward have taken aim at over the past few months, with the duo also mocking their former mentor, Louis Walsh.

Back in the days of The X Factor in 2009, John and Edward were part of the ‘Groups’ category, managed in that series by fellow Irishman, Louis Walsh.

Walsh managed the Grimes twins in the same year that they appeared on the ITV talent show, before their late mother took over in 2013.

Ahead of Morgan announcing that he would leave the breakfast show Good Morning Britain after facing strong criticism for his comments about Meghan Markle, Jedward were quick to suggest a possible replacement.

“What wrinkly white old fart could replace Piers? Oh wait, Louis Walsh,” they tweeted.

The very same day, they also poked fun at Sharon Osbourne, as she rushed to the defence of Morgan.

Tweeting her support for her friend, the former X Factor judge tweeted on 9 March: “[Piers] I am with you. I stand by you.  People forget that you’re paid for your opinion and that you’re just speaking your truth.”

Referencing a line from the show, Jedward shared the tweet and responded: “We aren’t with you. We don’t stand with you. It’s a NO from us! Sorry you aren’t going to bootcamp!”

The duo received ‘four yeses’ from supporters, with one saying Jedward were “spitting facts once again”.

Back in January, when rioters attacked the US Capitol building, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg was heavily mocked online for describing the violent scenes as a “scuffle” – a comment which was described as “beyond parody” online. Jedward soon passed comment themselves.

“Laura can you tweet about Politics … this isn’t a reality show you are reporting about it’s real life facts and news!

“A Twitter fight is a scuffle, [Laura]. Don’t down play [sic] something very serious! Example: Simon on X Factorhad a scuffle with Jedward about how talented and incredible their hair is,” they said.

More than 10 years on from their first appearance on The X Factor, John and Edward’s tweet game has reached truly epic – or rather, ‘Jepic’ – proportions.