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Holden dumps Kyle & Jackie O following verbal attack on journalist

Updated: Holden has withdrawn its radio sponsorship of Kyle and Jackie O as Kyle issues a reserved apology to a News Ltd journalist.

Holden has withdrawn its sponsorship of Kyle and Jackie O’s Austereo programme following comments made by Kyle Sandilands about a review of Kyle & Jackie O’s Night with the Stars.

A statement issued by Holden says: Recent comments made on the Kyle and Jackie O Breakfast Show do not in any way reflect the views or opinions of Holden and we are very disappointed to hear Kyle’s personal attack on a journalist.

We believe the show is no longer in line with Holden’s core values and as a result we have taken action to withdraw our sponsorship of the program, effective immediately.

Sandilands blasted News Limited’s online deputy editor, Alison Stephenson after her review branded the Seven show “a disaster.”

On his Austereo radio programme he called Stephenson “some fat slag… a fat bitter thing … a piece of shit” and attacked her appearance.

“Change your image, girl. Watch your mouth or I’ll hunt you down.”

The Federal Minister for the Status of Women, Kate Ellis, said Sandilands’s latest outburst was part of a “sustained pattern” of attacks on women.

“All Australians, including women, are entitled to be treated with respect at home, in the workplace and in the community,” she said.

“This latest personal attack on a journalist who was simply doing her job is another example in what is a sustained pattern of disrespectful and offensive attacks on women.

“While some may hold out hope that Kyle Sandilands will one day reform his rude and entirely inappropriate approach, to my mind a much easier solution is for Australians to just turn off.”

ACMA this morning confirmed it had received ”several” complaints about Sandilands’s comments yesterday, but an investigation was not under way because complainants first had to contact the broadcaster directly, spokeswoman Emma Rossi said.

Seven is yet to issue any comment.

UPDATED: On his radio show today Sandilands denied he was a woman-hater.

“We live in a country of free speech, you’re allowed to say what you want and so am I,” he said.

“Whether you’re male, whether you’re female.

“I treat everyone equally. It doesn’t matter your gender, your race, your sexual preference, you’re equal as far as I’m concerned.

“If you took a personal offence to it Ali I’m sorry, but maybe you should think again before you start going [against] different people.

“If they say I can dish it out but I can’t take it, I never ever dish it out first.

“I always retaliate due to someone else’s crazy, outrageous allegations.

“You can have your personal opinion, but I will also have mine because that’s the country we live in.”

“If we’re all really equal, how can these people bring up these things and turn it into such a male versus female thing.

Source: The Age

53 Responses

  1. @tony – it’s not right for people to make personal comments about Sandilands that are irrelevant or out of proportion to what he said (even though that is exactly what he did). However, when he calls someone who didn’t make any personal comments about him “fat”, it is appropriate for people to call him out for being a hypocrite as well as nasty.

    It is also appropriate that he be condemned for making a threat to “hunt [her] down” and the other disparaging remarks that he made about her personal physique and appearance. All irrelevant to the content of her review, all spiteful.

    You also seem to have the order of events a little confused. Sandilands did not say “something deemed rude” in response to thousands of people having a go at him, which you seem to think is ok. He made those disgusting insults in response to someone who simply reviewed his show as part of her normal job. She didn’t resort to making personal comments about Sandilands’ appearance and, if you actually read what she wrote, you will see that it is both fair and balanced and, more importantly, accurate.

    What is the world coming to when people such as yourself think that it is ok to threaten someone with violence just because they wrote an honest review of some turd that you just laid?

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