Woke mob descends on House star Hugh Laurie after he said Sophie Cunningham was right that trans women should be banned from female sports

House star Hugh Laurie has sparked a furious debate after telling a writer to 'f*** off' for calling him 'cowardly' over the transgender athletes argument - before declaring that men should not compete in women's sports.

The 67-year-old British actor became embroiled in the heated exchange with Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan after joking on X about the controversy surrounding transgender athletes in professional basketball.

Linehan pressed Laurie to state his position outright, asking whether he believed men should be allowed to compete in women's sports and accusing the actor of being 'cowardly' for appearing to distance himself from the debate.

Laurie, best known for playing Dr Gregory House in the hit medical drama, fired back.

'Firstly, f*** off; secondly no, I don't believe men should compete against women. I thought I'd made that pretty clear,' he wrote.

The post, shared on August 9, had racked up more than 2.2million views and 7,700 likes by Tuesday.

Linehan then challenged the three-time Golden Globe winner to publicly support WNBA star Sophie Cunningham, who has faced intense criticism since speaking out against transgender women competing in female sports.

Laurie did not hesitate.

'You started it,' he replied. '“Cowardly” to “f*** off” is the going rate of exchange around here. And yes, I support Sophie Cunningham. And you, some of the time.'

Laurie's blunt declaration immediately divided social media, with critics accusing the actor of bigotry while supporters praised him for speaking out.

British television personality India Willoughby, who is transgender, branded Laurie 'pathetic' and added: 'What a disappointment.'

Another critic wrote: 'A shame to find out you support bigotry (and bigots). I would've thought you were smart enough to not fall for anti-LGBTQ propaganda and scapegoating distraction campaigns.'

A third mocked the debate, writing: 'Anyone who speaks out about transgender women in sports must also post a picture of themselves at a women's sports game.'

But scores of others rallied behind the House star.

'Thank you Hugh Laurie for being one of the few sane people in this controversy,' one supporter wrote. 'It is shocking and insane that anyone thinks men belong in women's sports.'

Another declared: 'Finally someone in Hollywood with balls!' before praising Laurie for 'standing' with Cunningham.

Others appeared amused by the famously dry-witted actor's no-holds-barred approach to the row.

'This thread has been pretty entertaining,' one wrote.

Another fan said they had 'loved Dr House' but had been angered by Laurie over the years, before adding: 'My question is, doesn't this man get to have his own beliefs?'

Even one critic who called Laurie a 'smug little prick' received a characteristically understated response from the actor: 'Good pint.'

Laurie's intervention comes weeks after Cunningham became a lightning rod in the debate following an interview with ESPN.

The 29-year-old basketball star said she had received a wave of negative feedback and accusations that she hated transgender people after stating that transgender women should not compete against biological women.

'I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I'm like, “I never once said that,”' Cunningham told ESPN.

'I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men.'

Cunningham described herself as politically in the middle, saying she agrees and disagrees with positions on both sides.

The controversy surrounding her comments has since spilled far beyond social media.

Rallies both supporting and opposing Cunningham's position have been staged around Fever games, including dueling demonstrations outside the United Center in Chicago when Indiana faced the Chicago Sky on Saturday.

Earlier demonstrations prompted Cunningham to say she was not concerned about the protests, although she later said she wanted the attention surrounding her to shift back toward basketball.

The controversy surrounding her remarks generated three rallies and reaction reaching as far as the White House, according to ESPN.

Cunningham's profile has also skyrocketed amid the furor, attracting increased social media attention and support from conservative figures.

The debate has also spread across the WNBA.

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told teams that a league task force would examine the issue, while the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement currently states that only women are eligible to play but does not specifically define eligibility according to sex assigned at birth or gender identity, Vanity Fair reported.