Kyle Sandilands usually makes headlines for being salacious and controversial. However, he has now been lumped with praise for being woke.
Last week, Sandilands weighed in on The Manly Seagulls Pride Jersey scandal. That saw several players refuse to wear the jersey, and ultimately, they didn’t play in a game. Their actions sparked a nationwide debate about inclusivity, religion and sport.
All your typical players came out loudly offering opinions, but Sandilands’ response has gotten the shock jock some good press.
The Daily Mail has reported that Sandilands said: “The whole excuse of religion doesn’t make sense. If they’re all playing in a stadium sponsored by alcohol and all the jerseys are sponsored by a gambling company, it makes no sense.”
Twitter reacted by singing Sandilands’ praises.
I really feel for Ian Roberts today. He did so much to take a stand in his chosen profession. I never thought I would agree so strongly with Kyle Sandilands & Jackie O. Please NRL continue to support Pride rounds
— Bobbi McKibbin (@BobbiMckibbin) July 26, 2022
https://twitter.com/JoshSim/status/1551767940013621249
Kyle Sandilands gets it pic.twitter.com/Oc8UaCbMrE
— Succulent Chinese Meal (@Julxxx0) July 26, 2022
The response to Sandilands’ comments was undeniably warm, which has become somewhat of a pattern lately. It’s been an interesting image reshift for Sandilands, who is now more likely to go viral for his excitement over his pending fatherhood or for shutting down misogynists.
Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing. Earlier this year, Sandilands was facing backlash, including calls for him to be fired after he insensitively described the 2020 Paralympics on air.
Still, seeing Sandilands slowly rebrand into less of a shock jock is undeniably fascinating.