Kyle Sandilands under fire for ‘hurtful’ comments about Monkeypox

Kyle Sandilands has come under fire from an LGBTQ health body for making several ‘hurtful’ jokes about Monkeypox on his radio show.

Kyle Sandilands has copped heat from an LGBTQ health body for his “hurtful” comments about Monkeypox this week.

The KIIS FM shock jock landed a spot in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Private Sydney column on Saturday after describing the virus as “the big gay disease floating around” and joking that he wouldn’t let producer Brooklyn Ross near his new son Otto.

Responding to the radio segment aired Tuesday morning, a spokesman from the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations called the comments “deeply unhelpful”.

“Comments such as this are not just hurtful, they are also deeply unhelpful,” the spokesman told the Sydney Morning Herald.

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Kyle made a number of jokes about Monkeypox on Tuesday.

“Right now, thousands of gay and bisexual men are doing the right thing by monitoring for Monkeypox symptoms, to look after their health and that of their partners. Over the next few months, we will be asking these men to come forward to be vaccinated.

“When people hear segments such as this, it inflames stigma and deters people from visiting healthcare clinics to be tested and vaccinated.

“We would be very happy to provide a private briefing for Mr Sandilands so that he can play a constructive role in the national Monkeypox response,” the organisation added.

The statement comes after Sandilands made a number of jokes about the virus on Tuesday.

Discussing Sandilands’ request for co-host Jackie “O” Henderson to be vaccinated against whooping cough before meeting his and fiance Tegan Kynaston’s newborn son Otto, producer Ross asked, “What about me, do I need the Monkeypox vaccine?”

Responding, Sandilands quipped, “No, we’re not letting any gays near him,” before suggesting they call Ross’ partner Damien to ask if he was concerned about catching the virus.

Kyle and fiance Tegan Kynaston welcomed son Otto earlier this month.

“The Monkeypox. The big gay disease floating around, it’s only the gays getting it. Are you worried about getting it?” Kyle asked Damien.

“No, not at all,” he replied, to which Sandilands said, “Have you seen the big dirty scabs that everyone gets?”

The hosts then invited a medical expert, dubbed Dr KIIS, to weigh-in on the transmission of the disease and risk of fatality.

“There is a small fatality rate, yes … Only a small rate, but there is.”

“Are you just dismissing it because they’re gay?” Kyle joked in response.

It comes as concern about the spread of Monkeypox in Australia continues among LGBTQ communities, with more than 41,000 cases across 96 countries since May. The cases have primarily been among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on July 23.

This was followed by Australia declaring Monkeypox to be a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance five days later.

There is far less concern associated with Monkeypox than there was with Covid, however, with Australian chief medical officer Professor Paul Kelly describing it as “far less harmful” and “far less transmissible” by comparison.

This week, the WHO reported a 21 per cent decline in cases globally, according to Reuters. 

Originally published as Kyle Sandilands under fire for ‘hurtful’ comments about Monkeypox