Sydney comic and rapper Fortay accused of inciting violence against women during stand-up show in Adelaide

A Sydney comedian denies ‘vile physical threats’ towards women during an Adelaide gig says his comments have been ‘blown out of proportion’.

A controversial comic has denied inciting violence against women during a stand-up show in Adelaide.

Sydney comedian and rapper Fortay was performing at Zhivago nightclub in the city on Friday, July 25, when he made the inflammatory remarks on stage, which anti-DV campaigner Sherele Moody believes were directed at her.

Video footage on social media showed Fortay saying to the crowd: “You bitches are in trouble”.

“You better start behaving yourselves, stop the protesters, stop trying to cancel more concerts because once the power grid goes down… I’ll tell you what, the men in this crowd are gonna be doing what we want with you, you won’t fight,” he said in the clip.

Fortay on stage at Zhivago nightclub, Adelaide. Pics: Instagram.

Controversial comic Fortay has also released 18 albums as a rapper under the same name. Picture: Instagram.

Ms Moody this week shared a clip of the performance, Adelaide Unfiltered Fortay Stand Up Comedy Show, on her Instagram account.

“I am constantly amazed at how men can threaten to rape and kill us, without fear of consequences!” she captioned the post.

“I mean ... he is doing this in @zhivagonightclub, in front of a crowd of people. And no one thought ... ‘this is wrong and dangerous. A woman is at risk.’”

On Tuesday, Ms Moody said she believed Fortay’s comments were aimed at her because she’s been “calling him out for promoting brutalising women in his shows”.

Hundreds of Ms Moody’s followers also condemned Fortay’s routine.

Sherele Moody, Red Heart Campaign Founder. Picture: Josie Hayden

Fortay said his joke was aimed at feminists who use their “online power” to “harass, bully and threaten” him and his livelihood. Picture: Instagram.

Angie Fryer said Fortay’s comments were not acceptable. Ms Fryer said she believed he was inciting sexual and physical violence at his events, when the audience is made up of men who are ok with his form of “comedy”, and who probably have all consumed a decent amount of alcohol.

“He needs to be stopped!”

Brooke Everingham added that it was “scary” to see young men in the audience for the comedy show.
“Scary for their partners, sisters and future daughters,” she wrote.

But Fortay, whose real name is Alex Romano, said his comments were taken out of context and he was “not advocating violence against anyone”.

Fortay said his joke was aimed at feminists who use their “online power” to “harass, bully and threaten” him and his livelihood.

“I was saying that if the power grid does go out... people will go crazy. It’ll be total chaos and anarchy. The tables will turn very quickly,” he said.

His remarks in Adelaide were “blown out of proportion”, Fortay added.

“I love women. I have great respect for women. I mean no harm to women,” he said.

“It’s a comedy show – nothing is off limits. If you don’t like it, go see The Wiggles.”

Hailing from western Sydney, Fortay hit the headlines in March when he referenced disgraced former NRL star Ben Barba in his debut comedy gig in Brisbane.

Comic Fortay said that “I love women. I have great respect for women. I mean no harm to women,”. Picture: Instagram.

Barba was alleged to have been involved in a physical altercation with his partner Ainslie Currie in 2019. He pleaded guilty to two counts of public nuisance over the incident, in which he allegedly grabbed Ms Currie by the throat and pinned her to the wall in Townsville.

Ms Currie did not press charges and Barba was sentenced to community service.

Fortay included Barba as well as other NRL players as part of a “10-minute joke” about how different his life would have been if he had followed his childhood dreams of becoming an NRL player rather than a musician.

“His (Ben Barba’s) fairytale NRL return was cut short after the former Dally M medallist was banned for assaulting his girlfriend at a Townsville casino on Australia Day,” Fortay said during the show, which was captured in a video shared on Instagram.

He then proceeded to make a joke about how women sometimes “need a good smack in the face”.

“But hang on a second, I’d like to say hitting women in an RSL is completely wrong and unacceptable,” he continued.

“There’s way too many cameras in that place,” he said, as the audience erupted into laughter.

Ms Moody said Australia is in the “midst of a male violence epidemic”.

“It’s behaviour like this that allows this epidemic to thrive. Women are not a punchline – in comedy or in real life,” she said.

Originally published as Sydney comic and rapper Fortay accused of inciting violence against women during stand-up show in Adelaide