He’s known for his quick wit and solid presenting skills, but Waleed Aly made an uncharacteristic blunder last night on Ten’s The Project, sparking a big backlash on social media.
Aly, along with co-hosts Carrie Bickmore, Peter Helliar and Gretel Killeen, was finishing up a chat about a job ad on Gumtree that was posted by a small business in Perth, which requested that no bogans or “rough people” need apply.
The panel joked about the ad for a little while in a savoury fashion before Aly chimed in with a pearler. Take a look at the video (courtesy of Daily Mail Australia) below:
Viewers were quick to lambast Aly on social media. Here are some of the best:
#TheProjectTV Waleed. .what makes you think you are any better than a Bogan. ..
— Metal_J (@Metal_JT) February 13, 2017
Rude, Waleed @theprojecttv. I’ve two degrees, including one in Latin and Ancient Greek & all I’m looking for is an admin position. #nobogan
— Emma Kate (@waqem) February 13, 2017
@theprojecttv Waleed if u ever want to meet with my boss, I will put u at the bottom of the priority list cause u think I’m a bogan ?
— ShpunkyLady66 (@ShpunkyLady66) February 13, 2017
@theprojecttv No Waleed. Not cool at all. Not all Admin peeps are Bogans. Many are degree qualified. Can’t believe your comment!
— Donna Taylor (@DMcFeet) February 13, 2017
Aly’s co-hosts gave him a chance to clarify and apologise for his comments later in the show, only for him to question the need to.
“Should I clarify? In my head I was actually making the opposite point to what came out,” he said.
“Which is the idea that admin people and bogans are the same thing is completely ridiculous, but it came out the wrong way around.”
Aly finished by calling himself a bogan.
The Gold Logie winner’s joke also struck a negative chord with Triple M’s The Grill Team host Mark Geyer, who said it was “as funny as cancer” on his radio show this morning.
