Kyle Sandilands apologises on air for Virgin Mary comments

The FM radio host admits his comments were a ‘bad decision’ but says he won’t quit.

Kyle Sandilands and his co-host Jackie O at the KIIS studios. Picture: Supplied

Radio host Kyle Sandilands has admitted he made a “hugely bad decision” when making an on-air joke that the Virgin Mary was “a liar who was knocked up behind a camel shed”.

Speaking on the Kyle and Jackie O show this morning from his Los Angeles home, where he remains holed up in the wake of death threats, the embattled host said he would not quit and that he didn’t fear being fired over the comments that have enraged scores of fans and triggered some Christian and Muslim listeners to protest outside broadcaster KIIS’ studios.

Monday’s on-air apology comes after Sandilands released a statement following his comments on September 18 and a separate apology when confronted by a paparazzo outside his LA home.

“You might believe everything that’s written down 2000 years ago to be absolutely accurate. And good on you, you’re dumb, dumb as dog shit.” Sandilands said.

Attorney-General Christian Porter weighed into the saga, saying incoming religious discrimination legislation would not affect Sandilands as the laws were not designed to protect from Blasphemy.

On Monday, Sandilands explained he knew the gravity of his comments after his phone number was leaked online and he took calls from offended listeners.

“I started getting phone calls. So very quickly, I became very aware that the thing that I’d said had pissed a lot of people off. I answered hundreds of calls.” he explained.

“Some were very, very aggressive. A lot of people hung up.

“Everyone has their own right to their own opinion and their own religious beliefs and no one has the right to take that away from them.

“What I didn’t realise until I started taking these calls, was that I’d stepped on the belief of other people. And that’s what I’d done wrong.”

Sandilands said his Virgin Mary comments had not been scripted before he said them.

“It was a joke. It was a hugely bad decision (in) poor taste,” he said.

“I didn’t plan that joke. I didn’t write it down. I was just spitballing live.

“And I didn’t realise the gravity of it, and it really upset a lot of people. I get upset at the fact that wow, I’ve really caused a lot of grief to a lot of people and what they believe and that’s never what I meant to do.

“I was just you know, trying to make people have a laugh. It was a shit thing I said, never meant to hurt anyone, never meant to make anyone sad.

“Never do I want to make someone so angry that they don’t want to listen to the show, or they don’t want to listen to me, nor do I want them to be so enraged that they are threatening to kill people over something that I’ve said. (I’m) horrified at that situation.” he said.

“I do truly believe that we all have the right to believe in whatever we want to believe in. And no other person has the right to make us feel less for believing whatever we believe in.

“Am I going to quit? No. Am I going to get fired? No. Am I sorry? Absolutely I am sorry.” Sandilands said he had contacted Muslim and Christian community leaders and invited them onto his show.

“Make up your mind if you want to stay with us. Then we love that. If you think that nup, we’re finished, then whatever go along your merry way.”

“There’s nothing else I can do or say.” he said.