‘Did you think it was okay?’ Jordan Stephens asks, fresh from receiving Attitude’s Ally award last week, where he shared his love for ex-girlfriend Jade Thirlwall on stage.
‘I wish I’d written a speech. Initially I thought I was going to centre it more around Jade.’
The author and Rizzle Kicks star, 34, sat down with Metro the morning after the star-studded ceremony to talk about human connection, or lack thereof, after 7 out of 10 Brits said they’re becoming less comfortable making phone calls, something he says is causing us to live in a ‘frictionless society’.
‘A lot of the work I’m doing now is connection oriented. It’s important to hold onto the art of conversation,’ he says.
Jordan’s speciality is communication; I almost didn’t want our call to end because everything he says is beautifully poetic. He’s been hailed as the voice of reason, detoxifying feeds in the era of male-dominated podcasts.
But he makes it clear that talking about mental health and masculinity in 2026, as he does so often, isn’t radical.
‘I get in a complex quite a lot about being seen as a role model,’ he explains. ‘With celebrity culture, or people being known or elevated, I feel uncomfortable about that.’
He adds: ‘I hate all the purity stuff. I really like trying to strip all my insides out and put them on display. Not everybody can communicate like me. And that’s not to say I’m the best, but I have some ability.’
Jordan isn’t afraid to talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly, recently calling out friend Ed Sheeran over the removal of Macklemore from his tour following his outspoken support for Palestine. ‘Every time he speaks, it gets worse,’ he said on his Miss Me? podcast which he co-hosts with friend Miquita Oliver.
Something else he feels uncomfortable about is the upcoming release of Sacha Baron Cohen’s new Ali G film, Who Iz I?, which has faced backlash for ‘enforcing racist stereotypes’. He tells us of the gonzo-gotcha comedy: ’Talking about this could be a whole interview in itself.’
‘I’m not a fan. It’s that simple. I think if people want to do research on him, the reality becomes clear,’ he says.
‘There are other people who are better equipped to speak on that person that may or may not have written memoirs that include details about their experience with him.’
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Online, Jordan pushes back against the rise of the manosphere and says his younger experiences and ideas around masculinity haven’t come from other men.
‘Ultimately, I was raised by a lot of interesting, insightful, loving women,’ he smiles.
‘I look back and a lot of my strength, creativity, and guidance has come from women, and I’m proud to say that. I kind of resent this idea that it’s got to be men. I don’t think that’s true.’
Jordan adds that he enjoys having crucial conversations and, importantly, using his position for good.
‘Sometimes I still experience fear of the repercussions of putting myself out there or, but that isn’t what drives me,’ he tells us.
‘Obviously last night was amazing, to be given this ally award; it encompasses a lot of stuff I’ve been doing, but it’s confusing for me because it’s not a move. People think I’m promoting women and the LGBTQ+ scene because that’s my “leftist agenda”. It’s not that.
‘I literally believe that everyone, and my life, is so much better because of it. Why wouldn’t you want that? Why wouldn’t you want women to feel safe? It feels so straightforward and that’s the world I want to live in.’
While he doesn’t find vulnerability difficult, Jordan understands why men are finding it hard to open up, saying: ‘A lot of the fears that men have about standing out in the colours they wear, the words they say, or appreciating women… there’s a fear of being seen as “soft”.
‘I just feel very, very lucky I’ve grown away from that.’
iD Mobile and Mental Health UK, together with Jordan Stephens, are urging the nation to take a text and Make it a Call. Find out more here.