After weeks of back and forth, it seems peace has finally settled between former cast mates of Hey Hey It’s Saturday.
Controversy began when Daryl Somers spoke out about political correctness and cancel culture, to the Daily Telegraph, stating that the popular variety show, Hey Hey It’s Saturday, would not survive on today’s screens.
Videos then emerged on social media, showing incidents of racism towards Malaysian-born singer, Kamahl, throughout his time on the show.
Kamahl spoke to the Guardian, saying that he found these appearances humiliating, but that he didn’t want to raise any objections at the time. The show’s voice actor, John Blackman, responded to these comments, saying that if Kamahl had approached him, they would have stopped.
Today Daryl Somers has spoken to 3AW’s Neil Mitchell, and issued a statement.
Dear All,
I am currently in the middle of recording Dancing with the Stars: All Stars, but I thought I should acknowledge the recent media commentary regarding historical footage of Hey Hey It’s Saturday that people have understandably found offensive. I want to make it very clear that I and all members of the Hey Hey team do not condone racism in any form. I have always considered Kamahl a friend and supporter of the show, so I deeply regret any hurt felt by him as a result of anything that took place on the programme in the past. I wholeheartedly support diversity in the Australian entertainment industry and I am committed to continuous learning and development in that regard.
Hey Hey It’s Saturday never set out to offend anybody but always strived to provide family entertainment. I am proud of the fact that it was the longest running comedy/variety programme on Australian television lasting for thirty years. I certainly appreciate, however, that in the context of modern society some material from the past is plainly inappropriate, and would not go to air today.
Best regards,
Daryl
Kamahl has since taken to Twitter to accept the apology.
