It makes no sense to replace Red Symons with Sami Shah, writes Susie O’Brien

The ABC has just dumped Red Symons for calling a woman “yellow” and replaced him with Sami Shah, a man who has made some disgusting comments of his own, writes Susie O’Brien.

The ABC has just dumped Red Symons for calling a woman “yellow” and replaced him with Sami Shah, a Pakistani-born former Muslim who’s been sending disgusting tweets about Coalition ministers.

It doesn’t make any sense.

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Sure, Symons misfired the day he interviewed ABC journalist Beverley Wang by asking if she was “yellow”. In the awkward interview, he told Wang he was unhappy about her new podcast called “It’s Not a Race” because he had a podcast he wanted to call “What’s the deal with Asians?”

He also asked Wang what part of China she was from — she’s a Taiwanese Canadian — and asked her if all Asians are the same.

Red Symons doesn’t deserve to go from the ABC.

Symons subsequently apologised after a massive outcry.

“I came across as racist and I was wrong in the way I conducted the interview,” he said.

Sami Shah has been offensive on Twitter, Susie O’Brien says.

“I offer my sincerest apologies. We need to talk about these issues, but be careful how we consider them.”

OK, so that was not Symons’ finest work. But many of his regular listeners — and I am one of them — are very fond of his idiosyncratic dry style and meandering wit.

To send someone of Symons’ calibre packing just after he returned after a major health scare was downright nasty.

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Symons told listeners he’d been offered other roles at the ABC next year, but he wanted to make a clean break.

“Why am I going? They haven’t said, and I haven’t asked,” he said.

It seems extraordinary the ABC have replaced him with broadcaster Jacinta Parsons and Shah, who has been way more offensive on Twitter than Symons on air.

I like listening to Sami Shah very much. He’s affable and funny and it’s nice to have a regular voice on the radio who doesn’t sound like everyone else.

Jacinta Parsons pictured with Sunny Leunig.

But he’s hardly a safe choice or a good reason to turf out Symons given his Twitter history.

One tweet from Shah read: “Does Peter Dutton speak without Scott Morrison’s hand directly up his ass?”

“It’s not Peter Dutton’s fault. His grandfather was an asshole.”

And this one: “Peter Dutton more embarrassed by accidental text than by sexual abuse of children in Nauru by staff. LOLS YOU GUYS Ah, what a laff.”

No doubt Shah’s been reined in by ABC bosses, which is probably a good thing because it’s not a good look for a permanent presenter in such a high profile spot.

I wish him and Parsons well, but do feel sorry for Symons.