KIIS FM host Kyle Sandilands slammed over homophobic jibe on Brunswick man’s rainbow house
A proud gay Melbourne man has called out radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands for making homophobic comments on air about his colourful holiday house.
Victoria
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A proud gay Melbourne man has called out Kyle Sandilands for making “vile” homophobic comments on air about his rainbow house.
Brunswick hairdresser Mykey O’Halloran said the shock jock had gone too far after he criticised his colourful house in Phillip Island.
After he was sent an image of O’Halloran’s rainbow home during a chat about paint colours, Sandilands said on The Kyle and Jackie O Show: “This is the ugliest looking joint you’ve ever seen. Every bit of wood is a different bloody colour of the rainbow. What’s the occupant like? Is he a how-you-going type of bloke or?”
Sandilands also made innuendos about it having a “sticky” floor and said “nothing says gay like a rainbow coloured house”.
“In all honesty, I thought you gays were pretty good with the overall decorating... you’re great at a throw rug. You guys know where it goes. But that place is disgusting. Bet you that’s an old gay who lives in that house.”
O’Halloran, who spends his weekends at the Phillip Island home, said the comments went to air on KIIS FM at the end of May but it’s taken him until now to process it all.
“It’s taken me this long to respond,’’ he told the Herald Sun.
“I’ve been sitting in shock really. There are people in society who aren’t as colourful or expressive or proud of who they are. Not everyone is that accepting of themself.
“To think that he’s getting $10m a year is sickening. The station has made a really big mistake with that and no wonder no one is listening.”
O’Halloran said he’s encouraging people to make complaints and would like an apology.
“I’ve had a lot of issues with homophobia in general, my partner was slashed with a machete at the back of Northland seven months ago,’’ he said.
“That was severe but having this as casual chatter on radio between 6 and 10am when kids could be listening, is terrible. He’s just hashtag vile Kyle.
“It made my gut wrench and to use the word disgusting made me feel disgusted. I wanted to stand up against hate because this feels hateful.
“This kind of normalising homophobia, spreads homophobia. It sends the message that it’s OK to speak like this, in conversation, about others, or to others.”
O’Halloran’s home is nicknamed the Rainbow Retreat and the house is popular on Airbnb, with families coming to stay regularly.
Sandilands is part of a national anti-bigotry campaign, #StandUpToHate — which O’Halloran says makes it all the more worrying “in the current climate”.