Mick Molloy insists he was joking when he called Simone Holtznagel a ‘plus-size model’

RADIO star Mick Molloy has hit back at people who were upset with him after he described I’m a Celeb’s Simone Holtznagel as a “plus-size model”.

MICK Molloy has been slammed for calling I’m A Celeb contestant, Simone Holtznagel, a “plus-size model”.

The Aussie comedian made the comments on Tuesday afternoon on his national Triple M drive show, Kennedy Molloy, which he co-hosts with Jane Kennedy.

Speaking about Holtznagel, who is a model that has been featured on the covers of Playboy and Men’s Style, Molloy joked: “She claims to be a world class international model ... I call bulls**t!”

I’m A Celeb contestant Simone Holtznagel is the new face of Bras N Things’ exclusive Vamp lingerie collection.

His co-host immediately objected, saying: “Excuse me, that’s incredibly rude of you”.

Molloy went on to suggest she could be a “plus-size model” and joked that he hasn’t noticed her appearance change since being on the reality show.

“She’s been in the jungle for about 10 weeks now and still ...” he said as he started to hum the Baby Elephant Walk.

“I beg your pardon,” Kennedy said to Molloy. “That is so pathetic.”

Molloy’s comments were picked up in some media outlets after Tuesday’s radio show and Holtznagel’s Twitter account [which is being run by two female friends] hit out at the radio duo, targeting Kennedy in particular.

.@Jane_L_Kennedy as a woman in media & a mother of a daughter, hard to fathom your compliance to @mickmolloy disgusting comments about @moan_holtz on @kennedymolloy Tues afternoon? https://t.co/9vN02Y1DpB@ImACelebrityAU #ImACelebrityAU

— Simone Holtznagel (@moan_holtz) March 1, 2018

Even Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney Jess Miller sent Holtznagel a letter of support in the wake of Molloy’s comments.

“I, like many other people saw and heard what the idiot Mick Molloy said about you on the radio and we all see it for what it is — a desperate, misogynistic, cry for attention from an old, dull, over-the-hill man trying to steal your light,” Ms Miller said in her letter.

The Triple M radio co-hosts addressed the drama on their drive show yesterday and Molloy was adamant that he was joking.

“Yes, I joked about her appearance,” he said. “By the way, she’s a model. I think you’re allowed to talk about a model’s appearance and on a comedy show where you’re known as an idiot and you happen to be as fat as a house yourself. I think you’re entitled to make a joke.

“Clearly she’s not a plus-size model,” he said.

Jane Kennedy and Mick Molloy at the Story Bridge Hotel in Brisbane at their Triple M Long lunch earlier this week. Picture: Jono Searle

Jane Kennedy then responded directly to the tweet that was aimed at her from Holtznagel’s account.

“Whoever is doing Simone’s tweets and implied that you [Molloy] are such a svengali and I’m compliant with everything you say and I can’t speak for myself, perhaps you should have actually listened to the segment,” she said.

They replayed the audio from Tuesday’s show in which Kennedy can be heard disagreeing with Molloy on several occasions as he joked about Holtznagel.

“You’ve been misrepresented but only by some nutbags on Twitter so I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Molloy told her.

“I’m actually disagreeing with you, clearly, and that’s what infuriates me,” Kennedy said.

Molloy ended the segment by saying: “I’ll never comment on a model’s looks ever again, apparently.”

Simone Holtznagel before she went into the jungle.