Well without wishing to take sides here I doubt Berni really meant it in a literal sense. I would have hoped J to be of thicker skin and to simply reply referencing his mum.
This Brexit stuff has a lot to answer for, and you have not even scratched the surface yet. Politics you see, murky business. Thankfully I have chosen a path in life where I largely ignore it.
I suspect J will return soon when the normal discourse of football is upon us on a daily basis. The excitement of a new signing will surely flush him out.