Ben Stiller called ‘Fleabag’ a show ‘about a sex addict.’ Twitter begs to differ

The unnamed protagonist in “Fleabag” is a lot of things. A small-business owner. A woman who understands the importance of a good haircut. A trend-setting jumpsuit-wearer. But is she ... a sex addict?

She is according to Ben Stiller. In a bit before presenting the Emmy for supporting actor in a comedy series, the director of “Escape at Dannemora” described “Fleabag,” nominated for 11 Emmys at Sunday’s ceremony, as “a show about a sex addict.”

The comedy follows a character played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge who narrates her wild bedroom exploits directly to the audience and uses outrageous humor to disguise profound grief.

Some observers on Twitter were not pleased with this characterization.

Waller-Bridge did not exactly clear things up when she accepted the Emmy for writing for a comedy series.

“It’s wonderful to know and really reassuring to know that a dirty, pervy, angry, messed-up woman can make it to the Emmys,” she said.