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Radio presenter Kyle Sandilands is being sued two years after making offensive comments on air about the Virgin Mary on his KIIS FM breakfast show.
Sandilands, 50, had joked in 2019 that the Virgin Mary wasn’t actually a ‘virgin’ at all and ridiculed the idea of the Immaculate Conception by describing Jesus Christ’s mother as a ‘liar’ who got knocked up ‘behind a camel shed’.
Khalil Farah, a member of the Maronite Catholic Church who lives in Canberra, is seeking damages for religious discrimination.
Court matter: Radio presenter Kyle Sandilands (pictured) is being sued two years after making offensive comments on air about the Virgin Mary on his KIIS FM breakfast show
Mr Farah alleges Sandilands made a ‘number of derogatory, derisive and offensive comments directed at biblical miracles, the fidelity and honesty of the Virgin Mary and the intelligence and gullibility of people of the Christian faith’.
He claims these remarks made him experience stress, tension, crying and humiliation – even though he did not hear the live broadcast and only listened to a recording after someone at his workplace forwarded it to him.
Sandilands tried to have the case dismissed on the basis that the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal has no jurisdiction over his radio show, which is broadcast from Sydney, but failed.
The case will come before the tribunal again at a later date.
Joke: Sandilands, 50, had joked in 2019 that the Virgin Mary wasn’t actually a ‘virgin’ at all and had been ‘knocked up behind a camel shed’, resulting in the birth of Jesus Christ
On September 18, 2019, Kyle offended thousands of listeners by saying the Virgin Mary wasn’t actually a virgin at all.
‘I thought Mary was his [Jesus Christ’s] girlfriend but apparently it was the mother,’ he said on air.
‘And the mother lied obviously and told everyone, ‘Nah I got pregnant by a magical ghost’. Bulls**t.
‘Someone chock-a-blocked her behind the camel shed. You might believe everything that’s written down 2,000 years ago to be absolutely accurate and good on you, you’re dumb. Dumb as dog s**t.’
After his comments went viral on social media, dozens of Christian and Muslim protesters gathered at KIIS FM’s North Ryde studios to demonstrate against the ‘ghastly’ joke.
Case: Khalil Farah, a member of the Maronite Catholic Church, is seeking damages for religious discrimination
On September 30, Kyle issued a heartfelt apology for his controversial joke, telling listeners of his radio show that he deeply regretted what he’d said.
‘I didn’t realise the gravity of it. I upset a lot of people,’ he said. ‘Even friends of mine were like, ‘Bro how could you say something so dumb like that?”
Kyle added that he ‘only wanted to make people laugh’ and emphasised that his joke was ‘not planned’ in any way.
He confessed that the worst part of the whole experience was that people close to him had received death threats over what he’d said.
But he made it clear to naysayers that he wouldn’t be quitting his job over it.
‘I am going to quit? No. Am I going to get fired? No. Am I sorry? Absolutely I am sorry because, as I’ve said, I never intended to purposely upset anyone,’ he said.
‘Obviously I have upset people and I am sorry for it. There is nothing else I can do. We have all made mistakes in our life and this is just one of the many I have made.’
Comments: On September 18, 2019, Kyle offended thousands of listeners by saying the Virgin Mary wasn’t actually a virgin at all. Pictured Kyle and co-host Jackie O Henderson
Last year, the Australian Communications and Media Authority investigated the segment and found that KIIS FM’s Kyle and Jackie O Show breached decency standards.
The investigation found the comments made by host Kyle Sandilands were ‘offensive to listeners of faith but didn’t incite hatred or ridicule’.
In a statement, ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said: ‘Australians are generally tolerant of irreverent humour and critical discussion about religion.
‘But they would not expect a host of a broadcast program to derisively criticise people’s intelligence because of their religious beliefs.
‘Mr Sandilands overstepped the mark in terms of the generally accepted standards of decency in this case.’
Breach: Last year, the Australian Communications and Media Authority investigated the segment and found that KIIS FM’s Kyle and Jackie O Show breached decency standards
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