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“We acknowledge the offense”: The Project apologises over guest joke

Project hosts apologise to Muslim and Christian viewers for an offensive joke dropped during live television.

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The Project last night apologised to viewers for a punchline made by comedian Reuben Kaye.

On Tuesday, Kaye was discussing how as an LGBTQIA+ comedian he had been warned to “accept Jesus’ love or you will burn in hell,” when he said, “I love Jesus. I love any man who can get nailed for three days straight and come back for more.”

But the joke drew headlines and social media criticism.

Last night Waleed Aly said, “During an interview last night, our guest told a joke which we know was deeply and needlessly offensive to many of you.

“We want to acknowledge the particular offence and hurt that that caused our Muslim and especially our Christian viewers. Obviously, I understand just how profound that offence was.”

Sarah Harris added: “Live TV is unpredictable. And when this happened in the last few moments of last night’s show, it took us all by surprise. There wasn’t a lot of time to react in any sort of considered way.”

“It’s fair to say we weren’t expecting a comment like that to be made and we wouldn’t knowingly broadcast it of course. We acknowledge the offense it caused, but more than that, we’re sorry,” said Aly.

19 Responses

  1. The project would probably be better with someone with right leaning views like Steve Price. Steve is only on once a week but they need more like him.

  2. Yes the joke was offensive and This is a bad example to use…but it got me thinking….what The Project has been missing recently is that exciting, dynamic and unpredictable element of live TV. Yes there’s an audience, but other than that, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s all pre recorded and scripted…

  4. I don’t see any of these people complaining about the joke actually acknowledging the harm their faith does to people who are LGBTIQ+ and are forced to hear how their God apparently thinks all queer people are going to hell or are sinful if they act on their sexuality, which is the reason why this joke was made in the first place.

    Yes, it was provocative, but I bet the people who were offended by this joke are the same people who yell about “free speech” and “cancel culture” yet make a fuss over a simple joke, whether you think it’s funny or not. Not everyone is going to share your point of view that your religion is off limits. An apology was cowardly and unnecessary.

  5. The joke was funny. I was surprised when I heard it, but it was funny. It’s interesting that this has caused such ‘outrage’ but we’re willing to watch and put up with drivel like MAFS!

  6. Ironic….Charlie Pickering stated his show whilst he was canceling Hot Cross buns part of ….”Jesus kept it simple all cross and no bun and if you eat one (the Burger flavoured bun) you’d be like Jesus and have to lay down for 3 days, that’s the kind of bun Judas would eat” but nobody complained about that and no apology from the ABC. I’m not religious but I do have a sense of humour. Not afraid to admit I agree with troy_story. Religion is often the root of all evil as the saying goes. I’m probably on the road to hell now I’ve said that, so now I guess there’s a special place in hell reserved for me ….it’s called the throne.

  7. Problem is the joke was low hanging cheap humour, not a clever joke. A good comedian is someone like Ricky Gervais who can go the to line without crossing it.

  8. People really are snowflakes these days.
    I didn’t watch but reading the joke it does sound funny and is clearly a joke.
    The guest should have apologised as well.

  9. All of the edge and differentiation of The 7PM Project is long gone. When the show was actually fronted by people with a comedy background it would have handled this very differently.

  10. Can understand the confusion & outrage – regular Project viewers tuning in and suddenly being confronted with humour. Really should have a warning at the top of the show for that.

  12. What we often fail to forget is in large although our own individual values might be different or progressive Australia is a deeply conservative nation in large due to our multi cultural society. This is the type of press a show that’s struggling to gain trust and integrity during a perception of being bias can ill afford. Surely the final credits will roll on this show by years end.

  13. Ahhh Religion… the cause of so much hatred, war, death and marginalisation over history… can we acknowledge that he was warned to accept Jesus ‘or burn in hell’ from the very people who were offended by the joke? I find their religious views harmful and completely outdated… anyway this is a TV blog so I don’t want to get into all that.. All I’m saying is that rules and beliefs are still followed from a book written thousands of years ago… we paraphrase words from a text that has no proven historical accuracy and is potentially the greatest work of fiction ever written. Ugh Religion…

    The joke was hilarious btw.

    2. I’ve grown really tired of individuals continuously ascribing organised religion to wars, famines, and genocides. These evil acts are propagated by oppressor regimes and have zero connection with any religious canon. As a God-fearing Christian, I find that there is more righteousness and guidance delivered during sermons and homilies. I know this is not a page to debate religion and ethics and everything in between, but greed is the main funder of wars. Shame on The Project for being so callous and shame on Channel 10 for waiting a full twenty-four hours to do damage control. Their “apology” is a blanket statement at best, deficient any substance.

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