Daryl Somers, the former host of Hey Hey It’s Saturday, has apologised to Malaysian-born Australian singer Kandiah Kamalesvaran, better known as Kamahl, after clips of his guest spot on the show went viral this week for being mind-numbingly racist.
Last week, Somers told the Herald Sun that political correctness and cancel culture had killed TV comedy in Australia, adding that he felt like there was a lack of fun on TV these days.
Within hours, a mash-up of Kamahl’s totally fun appearance on Hey Hey remerged on Twitter, showing Somers launching white powder at Kamahl’s face, for some laughs.
“You’re a real white man, Kamahl,” Somer’s off-screen partner John Blackman told him after the prank.
Kamahl recently told The Guardian that the experience left him “humiliated”.
In a statement to 3AW, Somers – who is in the middle of recording Dancing With The Stars: All Stars – apologised to Kamahl and those he offended.
“I want to make it very clear that I and all members of the Hey Hey team do not condone racism in any form,” Somers wrote.
“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.”
Somers said that Hey Hey “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,” he wrote.
“I certainly appreciate, however, that in any context of modern society some material from the past is plainly inappropriate, and would not go to air today.”
Kamahl has since taken to Twitter to publicly accept Somers’ apology.
@OfficialKamahl
To whom it may concern, “This is to say that I, Kandiah Kamalesvaran, AKA Kamahl, accept and acknowledge the apology from friend Daryl Somers, unreservedly”.— Kamahl AM (@OfficialKamahl) March 31, 2021
“I, Kandiah Kamalesvaran, AKA Kamahl, accept and acknowledge the apology from friend Daryl Somers, unreservedly,” he wrote.
