Giorgia Meloni accuses the left of “illiberal drift” after a right-wing comedian criticized for his jokes pulled out of San Remo under pressure

Comedian Andrea Pucci, who was due to present one of the festival's evenings, has been criticized in the past for homophobic jokes and for a moment when he laughed at the physical appearance of Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein, Corriere della Sera and Reuters write.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has accused the centre-left opposition of trying to silence her critics in the entertainment world after a right-wing comedian who was due to co-present the popular San Remo festival pulled out of the role.

Andrea Pucci abruptly pulled out of the cast on Sunday, saying he and his family faced a series of insults and threats after public broadcaster RAI announced he would co-present one evening of the festival.

Meloni immediately defended him.

“It's troubling that in 2026 an artist feels compelled to give up their craft because of the climate of intimidation and hatred that has been created around them,” she wrote on X.

“The illiberal drift of the left in Italy is becoming scary,” Meloni added.

Pucci is known for his politically incorrect jokes, which Corriere della Sera, Italy's best-selling newspaper, wrote this month that they “belong to the last century”.

The comedian has been criticized in the past for homophobic jokes and for a moment when he laughed at the physical appearance of Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein, Corriere writes.

Pucci, who declared himself right-wing, welcomed the victory of Meloni's party in Italy.

Discussions on the excessive politicization of Rai television

When it was announced that Pucci would appear in Sanremo, the centre-left Democratic Party said he was “clearly right-wing, fascist and homophobic”.

Politically neutral consumer organization Codacons also weighed in, saying controversial figures like Pucci should not appear at the popular Italian festival.

The row comes amid deep cultural tensions in Italy, with the opposition accusing the right-wing coalition in power of carrying out a purge of the country's media and arts sector.

The government has rejected the accusations, saying the left believes it has a monopoly on Italian culture.

National Rai television is at the forefront of the battle, with critics calling it “TeleMeloni” because of the large number of government supporters in key positions.

The company has always been full of political appointees who reflect the government in power, but critics say the right-wing has a limited pool of talent from the arts world, undermining the broadcaster's reputation.

The issue came to the fore again this weekend when a journalist with close links to the right was entrusted with RAI commentary at the opening of the Winter Olympics in northern Italy.

Most newspapers criticized a series of blunders, including confusing an Italian actress with American singer Mariah Carey and confusing the head of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry, with the daughter of the Italian president, writes Reuters.

“What else needs to happen for TeleMeloni to be removed?” said two senior Democratic Party lawmakers, Sandro Ruotolo and Stefano Graziano.

“Italians are facing serious social emergencies, Meloni is concerned about the Sanremo Festival program”

After Meloni's intervention, the opposition came up with new criticism, pointing out that Italy faces more serious problems than San Remo, such as the damage caused by the storms in the south of the country.

“While Sicily has thousands of displaced people and Italians are facing serious social emergencies, Meloni and the government leadership are concerned about the program of the Sanremo Festival,” said the PD MP, a representative on the Rai supervisory committee.

“We take note of Andrea Pucci's decision to withdraw from co-presenting one of the Festival's evenings,” he continued, “a common-sense choice that is obviously not shared by everyone. It is certainly not shared by RaiSport director Paolo Petrecca, who, after a shameful comment at the opening of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, continues adamantly to remain in office.”

“We assure President (of the Council of Ministers) Meloni,” Graziano also said, “and Vice President Salvini: in Italy, there is no illiberal drift of the left, but rather an obvious cultural inadequacy on the part of the ruling right.”

“The only real attack on institutions is that of the governing majority, which seeks to control public information, delegitimize dissent and, through judicial reform, undermine the separation of powers,” Graziano said.