Much-loved entertainer Kamahl has accepted the "deep regret" expressed by the makers of Hey Hey It's Saturday over the repeated racist jokes he faced on the popular variety program.
Key points:
- Malaysian-born singer Kamahl recently revealed he felt "humiliated" by his treatment on Hey Hey It's Saturday
- One prank saw Kamahl get hit in the face with white powder in a "white face" joke
- Former Hey Hey It's Saturday host Daryl Somers has now issued a statement, saying he "deeply regret any hurt" felt by Kamahl
The show's well-documented ridicule of Kamahl with black jokes resurfaced on social media after Daryl Somers remarked last week that, "you probably could not get away with half the stuff you could on Hey Hey now because of the political correctness and the cancel culture".
It prompted Kamahl to open up about the hurt and humiliation he experienced while appearing on the show as a black Asian performer.
The Malaysian-born Tamil singer had hit songs around the world and gold and platinum sales, yet he felt he wasn't given the same limelight as John Farnham on the show.
"Hey Hey was a landmine and I knew that I would get blown up here and there, but there were some instances that were harder to stomach to others," he told 7.30.
"It's like losing your underpants. It's tripping you over everything. It's like being naked. It's a terrible feeling."
'I volunteered ... knowing full well that there will be a downside'
One prank, in which he was hit in the face with white powder in a "white face" joke, left Kamahl feeling belittled.
His appearance on the show was supposed to be about his performance at the renowned Carnegie Hall in New York.
"What I was really disappointed with [was] that given I was doing my second concert at Carnegie Hall, they couldn't be bothered to make the tiniest fuss, 'Here is a guy who's done something'."
Asked why he kept appearing on Hey Hey, Kamahl told 7.30 he realised the realities of show business.
"I volunteered, but knowing full well that there will be a downside, but never realising how offensive the downside would be," he told 7.30.
"As an entertainer, if you're not on television they think you're dead."
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
)Kamahl said he never sought an apology from Hey Hey even though he felt "pushed down".
"You brush it off, you don't dwell on it," he said.
"At the end of the day, I think you have to face the fact perception means a lot more than reality."
In a statement, Daryl Somers expressed his regret.
Channel Seven, file photo: AAP
)"I want to make it very clear that I and all members of the Hey Hey team do not condone racism in any form," he said in his statement.
"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 program in the past.
"Hey Hey It's Saturday never set out to offend anybody but always strived to provide family entertainment."
Kamahl has told 7.30 he accepts the unprompted response, which coincides with Somers' publicity blitz for his return to television.
"Just let bygones be bygones. He's been a friend," he said.
"I've never asked for [an] apology. I never wanted one. I appreciate his gesture in expressing his regrets."
Watch Kamahl's full interview on 7.30, Wednesday night on ABC TV and iview.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTAzLTMxL2thbWFobC1kYXJ5bC1zb21lcnMtc3RhdGVtZW50LWhleS1oZXktaXRzLXNhdHVyZGF5LXRyZWF0bWVudC8xMDAwNDE2MTLSAShodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTAwMDQxNjEy?oc=5
2021-03-31 06:17:05Z
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