'Fire me!' Kerri-Anne Kennerley defends her VERY controversial television rants and says she 'can't resist' making politically incorrect comments
- Kerri-Anne Kennerley called on TV produces to 'fire me' for controversial rants
- She appeared on Sky News' show The Death of the Aussie Larrikin? on Tuesday
- The 68-year-old said its fine when people disagree with outlandish comments
- She called on the 'silent majority' to speak up in cases which cause backlash
Kerri-Anne Kennerley says she 'can't resist' making politically incorrect statements that have landed her in hot water over her long and lucrative television career.
The Australian presenter appeared on Sky News' The Death of the Aussie Larrikin? on Tuesday night, which looks at social media's impact on Australian culture and whether political correctness has killed off humour.
The 68-year-old is no stranger to making outlandish comments, perhaps none more infamous than her rant about climate change protesters in October last year.
The Australian television presenter appeared on Sky News' show The Death of the Aussie Larrikin? on Tuesday night which looks at social media's impact on Australian culture and society
The Studio 10 panel were discussing the Queensland government's plan to introduce tougher sentences for unruly protesters, some of whom glued themselves to roads in Brisbane.
Kennerley said she supported tougher sentences.
'Personally, I would leave them all super glued to wherever they do it,' she said at the time.
Referring to a protester who attached a hammock to a bridge in Brisbane, she said: 'The guy hanging from the Story Bridge. Why send emergency services to look after or get a moron down?
'Leave him there until he gets himself out. No emergency services should help them, nobody should do anything, and you just put little witches hats around them, or use them as a speed bump.
'Is that wrong? Put them in jail and forget to feed them. Put them in some of the aged care homes around Australia, that would really sort them out.'
On Tuesday night, host of the Sky News program Rowan Dean questioned Kennerley about her controversial comments and whether she ever takes a step back before speaking her mind after widespread backlash last October.
Kennerley is no stranger for her outlandish comments which land her in hot water
'They really pray I do. They really go, ''Now, you know, maybe, we don't want you to pull back, but you know, maybe'' and I go, ''Oh what the, so fire me!'' she said.
'If I'm on Studio 10 and I'm having a cheeky day, and something like [political correctness] comes up, I can't resist it.'
She explained her comments about Extinction Rebellion protests were just a 'joke' and were made because 'I thought they were funny'.
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The television personality said it's fine if people disagree with her comments, but it becomes a different issue when they become 'vicious'.
Kennerley called on the 'silent majority' to 'speak up'.
'There will always be an echelon of society who don't really know you and really want to play darts, and it would seem most of those people use social media,' she said.
'And it's very powerful, but it's also not as big as the silent majority. So silent majority, could you just speak up a little bit? Just a little bit more? Thanks. It'd be very helpful.'
The popular television personality said it's fine if people disagree with her comments but it becomes a different issue when they become 'vicious' (pictured at the opening night of Chicago at Capitol Theatre on August 27, 2019)
Kennerley was joined by comedians Paul Fenech, Vince Sorrenti and Emma Malik, actor Delvene Delaney, who all agreed 'political correctness is killing the larrikin'.
ABC Radio presenter James Valentine described the 'larrikinism of the past was male, quite bullying and was directed at everyone else except themselves'.
He said there were never any jokes where the punchline was about a white male and in general larrikinism was bullying.
'The punchline's OK if it's the Aborigine, the woman, the migrant, young people, old people, disabled people, all other religions except their own – all that's fine. But that's not larrikinism, that's just bullying, that's just nasty,' he said.
Last year, Kennerley came under fire following a heated argument about protests against Australia Day with Yumi Stynes (pictured) who labelled her a 'racist'
Last year, Kennerley came under fire following a heated argument about protests against Australia Day with Yumi Stynes who labelled her a 'racist'.
Kennerley said Indigenous protesters and their supporters should be more concerned with the dire state of many Aboriginal communities.
'The 5,000 people who went through the streets making their points known, saying how inappropriate the day is - has any single one of those people been out to the Outback, where children, babies, five-year-olds, are being raped?,' she said.
'Their mothers are being raped, their sisters are being raped. They get no education. What have you done?'
After a pause, Stynes fired back at Kennerley.
'That is not even faintly true, Kerri-Anne. You're sounding quite racist right now,' she said.
Kennerley responded by stating she was offended, but Stynes doubled down on her insult.
'Well keep going then, because every time you open your mouth you're sounding racist.'
