Weekend Sunrise host Matt Doran ‘sorry’ for Adele drama

Weekend Sunrise host Matt Doran has spoken following a fiasco during an interview with pop star Adele, refuting claims she stormed out.

Channel 7 reporter Matt Doran has spoken out over his dramatic interview with Adele, refuting claims the pop star stormed off the set.

Doran was reportedly suspended for two weeks by the network after admitting during an interview with the singer that he hadn’t listened to her latest album.

On Sunday night, Doran told The Australian’s Nick Tabakoff he was never “formally” suspended despite being off the air for one weekend.

Weekend Sunrise host Matt Doran.

The Weekend Sunrise host flew to London on November 4 for the exclusive interview with the 33-year-old musician, but reportedly offended her when he said he hadn’t listened to her latest album 30.

During the lengthy interview with the pop star, sources said Doran didn’t ask any questions about her new album, The Daily Telegraph reported.

When Adele asked Doran, “What do you think of my album?” he replied: “I haven’t listened to it.”

News.com.au contacted Channel 7 for comment regarding the interview and suspension.

Weekend Sunrise host Matt Doran and 7 crew in London on November 4. Picture: Instagram

The interview with Adele was part of a package Channel 7 reportedly brokered which also included broadcast rights to Oprah Winfrey’s One Night Only interview and concert.

It is thought the network spent $1 million on the package.

Doran told The Australian he is “mortified and unequivocally apologetic”.

He said he had been sent an e-copy of the new album but “somehow missed” it while flying to London. He called it “the most important email I have ever missed”.

“When I sat down to interview Adele, I was totally unaware that I’d been emailed a preview of her unreleased album,” Doran said.

“I have since discovered it was sent to me as an ‘e card’ link, which I somehow missed upon landing in London. It was an oversight but NOT a deliberate snub. This is the most important email I have ever missed.”

Adele in One Night Only, a special with Oprah. Picture: Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty Images

A member of staff sorts copies of the new album from British singer-songwriter Adele, "30" in Sister Ray record store in the soho area of central London. Picture: Tolga Akmen / AFP

He said he had told Adele he had heard her single, Easy On Me, “but not the other tracks”.

While Seven insiders reportedly said the singer had stormed out on the interview after the comment, Doran refuted the claims and said it was the “polar opposite”.

“What was meant to be 20 minutes was extended to 29 minutes. The majority of the chat was about the album,” he said.

Although the interview was recorded, Adele’s label Sony has reportedly denied Channel 7 rights to air any portion of it.

Doran meanwhile has copped it from journalists and media commentators across social media including Marc Fennell and Rosie Waterland.

Re: Adele/Ch7. I’ve spent over a decade interviewing major actors, musicians around the world. Negotiating access, researching for genuinely interesting convo? That’s the hard part. Literally the *easiest* part is listening to the album on a 14hr (likely biz class) flight.

— Marc Fennell (@MarcFennell) November 21, 2021

one million dollars and HE DIDNT EVEN LISTEN TO THE ALBUM

— Alex Bruce-Smith (@alexbrucesmith) November 21, 2021

I just keep thinking… how bad must the interview have been, that Adele actually asked him if he’d listened to the album? One Google search would’ve revealed it’s about her divorce (at its simplest). He must have been SO wilfully uninterested for it to be obvious he knew nothing.

— Rosie Waterland (@RosieWaterland) November 21, 2021

Adele has remained silent on the interview but her latest tweet could offer a hint of her passion for her latest album and the importance if listening.

The singer has convinced music streaming service Spotify has removed the shuffle option on all album pages.

“Our art tells a story and our stories should be listened to as we intended. Thank you Spotify for listening,” she posted.

The streaming service replied “anything for you”.

This was the only request I had in our ever changing industry! We don’t create albums with so much care and thought into our track listing for no reason. Our art tells a story and our stories should be listened to as we intended. Thank you Spotify for listening 🍷♥️ https://t.co/XWlykhqxAy

— Adele (@Adele) November 21, 2021

Originally published as Weekend Sunrise host Matt Doran ‘sorry’ for Adele drama