'Rebel Wilson wasn't being racist - just watch the footage and decide for yourself.'

No, Rebel Wilson wasn’t being racist or transphobic at the BAFTAs. And don’t just take my word for it, watch the actual footage of her jokes, writes Terri Psiakis.

So many knickers to twist, so little time.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that was Rebel Wilson’s mantra at the BAFTAs on Monday, but if you ask me it’s been a big fuss over very little and sensationalist reporting is partly to blame.

While presenting the BAFTA award for best supporting actor, Wilson made jokes that were deemed by some to be racist and transphobic.

She began by addressing the diversity controversy of this year’s Oscars by stating:

I’ve never been invited to the Oscars before because as you know they are racists. But the BAFTAs has diverse members, and that’s what we all want to see in life, isn’t it? Diverse members.

Wilson then said she’d love to win a BAFTA one day, noting, “I’ve been practising my transgendered face.”

This was a reference to nominee Eddie Redmayne’s portrayal of a transgender person in the film The Danish Girl and also to the fact that playing a transgendered character has often had big pay-offs for cisgender actors in terms of industry recognition.

Acting enamoured but flustered, Wilson went on to single out nominated actor Idris Elba (who is of Sierra Leonean and Ghanaian descent) by saying, “Sorry, Idris Elba… You’re making me a bit nervous. But I’m just sociologically programmed to want chocolate on Valentine’s Day.”

So that’s me telling you what Rebel said.

Now, I’d like you to actually view her speech because the live version of Wilson’s speech comes across very differently to how the quotes read.

It was reported that Wilson’s joke about Elba was “less well-received” than her opening joke and that the crowd “appeared to laugh“. Watch the footage and note the audience — and Elba himself — thoroughly pissing themselves and applauding the joke.

I’m not saying a joke can’t be offensive if a bunch of people laughed at it, but there’s something to be said for understanding the spirit in which a joke is intended.

Wilson’s joke about Elba was in line with her opening dig at the Oscars racism controversy. It’s hard to argue that a joke is offensive when the subject of the joke is enjoying it immensely, and why report its reception inaccurately to begin with?

As for Wilson’s line about practising a “transgendered face” in order to receive an acting award, is this not a dig at the “easy” lauding of cisgender actors playing transgender roles?

And again, go to the footage. Wilson’s “transgendered face” is a slightly sultry but simultaneously coy look — isn’t this sending up the way cisgender actors routinely (and unimaginatively!) portray transgender people?

I’m happy to accept that as a cisgender person I’m missing something by virtue of my own life experience, but when I look at Wilson’s line and her delivery of it in light of the context in which she sets up her speech (“that’s all we want to see in life, isn’t it? Diverse members”), it’s hard for me to see it as being aimed to offend.

Tweets from members of the public reacting to Wilson’s speech were included in many of the articles written about her and this is where I think the notion of decent reporting goes downhill and sensationalism becomes the preferred option.

When any news article starts telling me what some carefully-selected people tweeted about something, I couldn’t give a flying continental.

Note to journalists: just do your job and tell me what actually happened and I’ll then go on to have my own thoughts about it, thanks very much.

Terri Psiakis has been working as a stand-up comedian, writer and broadcaster since 2000.

This post originally appeared on ABC’s The Drum.