Gen Fricker slams ‘racist’ Triple J in Instagram video

Gen Fricker has claimed Triple J had a shocking culture of 'racist jokes' and staff who 'mocked foreign accents'.

3 min read

June 6, 2020 - 10:57AM

Former radio host Gen Fricker has shared a video to Instagram detailing incidents of shocking racism behind the scenes at Triple J, including “racist jokes” and staff who “mocked foreign accents”.

The former Lunch host — who left the station last year — has detailed feelings of isolation and frustration being one of two people of colour working at ABC station at the time, and the casual racism she witnessed during her time as an employee.

She explained that she felt compelled to speak up amid the Black Lives Matter movement drenching social media following black man George Floyd’s death during a police arrest, labelling white people who work at Triple J “part of the problem”.

“After seeing black tiles all over my feed and people sharing things about how the gatekeepers of the culture should be held accountable I’m just going to put this out there,” Fricker, 30, shared.

“If you work at Triple J and you’re white you’re part of the problem.”

Gen Fricker has called out the radio station for alleged racism she witnessed behind closed doors. Picture: Instagram.

Fricker, who has Maori heritage, went on to explain that she was constantly put in a position where she felt it was her duty to call out racism.

“The difference between being not racist and anti-racist is calling out that s***,” she explained.

“I don’t think you realise how f***ing lonely it was being one of two brown people in those rooms having to explain why maybe a white woman singing in another language with no black people was a bit f***ing problematic.”

Fricker recalled “having to ask co-workers to stop doing African-American accents in the office, blaccents.”

She then said it was “f***ing horrible” to walk into her office and discover her manager having prepared a 30-minute-long audio sketch of someone prank calling a co-worker “in an Indian accent pretending to be in an Indian call centre”.

Fricker said she felt “isolated” as a woman of colour working at Triple J. Picture: Instagram.

The radio presenter said she eventually became “exhausted” faced with having to repeatedly explain that happening was wrong.

“That indigenous ally tile is great but post a picture of the management team at Triple J and tell me that comes from a real place,” Ms Fricker said.

“You're the gatekeepers of our culture. You need to stop trading off as a progressive brand because it's not real.

“And if you're an employee and you're there and you're wondering if they'll fire you for saying something, the odds are if you're white and a presenter, they're not going to fire you.”

Comedian Fricker, who was attacked on-air by a man who was known to be stalking her in 2018, has spoken out about her negative experience an a Triple J employee before.

Following the incident and her departure from the station, she blasted the ABC for a lack of concern over her safety and for failing to provide her with any security before the attack.

Speaking on Marie Claire’s Finding Fearless podcast earlier this year, Fricker said her stalker, Kieren Gallagher’ had attempted to gain entry into the ABC building “seven or eight times” before he made it into the Triple J studios, but that nobody told her about the threat.

She said the ordeal made her realise the ABC was just like “any other workplace”, and that despite the “cool glasses and jumpers” the media company was still run by “straight, white, old males” who were “oblivious to women and the issues that they face”.

After her comments on the podcast, Fricker said in a since deleted Instagram post that she had plenty of stories to tell about management at the ABC and their treatment of staff.

The ABC denies it didn’t take Fricker’s concerns seriously, saying she was supported after the incident.

Comedian and former Triple J host Gen Fricker. Picture: Patrick Gee

Her comments this week come after a Black Lives Matter protest due to be held in Sydney was controversially cancelled just hours before it was due to go ahead.

Thousands of protesters were due to attend the rally on Saturday afternoon before the Supreme Court ruling it would breach COVID-19 social distancing rules.

Many have vowed they would still attend.

news.com.au has reached out to Triple J for comment.