In truly unsurprising news, problematic television presenter Kerri-Anne Kennerley remains determined to share her piss-poor takes under the guise of trying to “have a laugh.”
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph on Saturday, the 66-year-old TV personality asserted that she frankly doesn’t give a fuck if people think she’s *checks notes* racist and guilty of slut-shaming.
“I am who I am and I am not going to change for other people,” she told the publication.
To be quite honest, Kerri-Anne (and the rest of us) should give at least a few fucks what people think, especially when she’s consistently being called out for being racist, sexist and wildly offensive. Sure, you shouldn’t live to please the general public. But if somebody calls out your offensive, unprofessional behaviour, you should probably take note.
Just to jog your memory, in her last decade on air, KAK has made headlines for victim blaming women during the Collingwood Football Club sexual assault scandal, made wildly racist accusations that “Change The Date” protesters were ignoring the alleged rape of women and children in “outback” Australia, suggested that climate change protesters could be used “as a speed bump,” and blatantly slut-shamed her colleague Antoinette Lattouf for her outfit choice at work. Frankly, calling her problematic is a bit of an understatement at this point.
For the last decade, the internet has blown up with criticism every time Kerri-Anne has shared one of her infamous shit takes on air. We’re all sick of hearing it. But unsurprisingly, she doesn’t “give a toss,” about online opinions.
“I care about people that I admire or trust,” she said. “And if a mate or family says ‘you know what – that was a bit across the line, I will consider it. But anybody else, people I don’t know or don’t have the same thought process, like most of those on Twitter, I don’t give a toss.”
Throughout the interview, Kennerley continued to assert that starting conversations with her outspoken opinions is part of her job, and that Australians are losing their larrikin sense of humour.
“Political correctness to me means that you are too afraid to say what you really mean because one tenth or one per cent of the population might be hugely offended and can’t laugh at themselves. What’s wrong with us these days? You have to have a laugh,” she said, seemingly forgetting that humour isn’t synonymous with offending sweeping portions of the population.
There are countless Australian TV personalities and professional comedians who are able to bring laughter and joy to the population without using oppressed minorities as the butt of their jokes. But Kerri-Anne continues to assert that we just don’t know ~real~ humour anymore.
“I think there is a lot to be said for that because we have gone so woke these days that so many people are actually frightened to say what they think or have a joke, for God’s sake,” she said. “Not everybody is evil or cruel or homophobic or sexist. I think people just occasionally like a sense of humour. We in Australia – and you ask any other country in the world – are the greatest larrikins of all time because we can laugh at ourselves.”
Kerri-Anne is right, people enjoy a good sense of humour. But I can’t help but think, if you’re not able to make a joke without slut-shaming your coworker or being racist, maybe you’re just not *that* funny?
