Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Yumi Stynes have come face-to-face for the first time since the two women famously clashed on morning show Studio 10 in 2019.
Moments before the reunion at the Women of the Future Awards in Sydney, Kennerley told Daily Mail reporters she’s “still hurt” by being accused of racism by Stynes on live television, doubling down on her comments from that day.
The veteran TV star and KIIS FM radio host locked horns during a heated debate about anti-Australia Day “Invasion Day” protests, prompting Stynes to reportedly cancel upcoming appearances on the show and triggering an investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority into Kennerley’s comments.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Kennerley said she hadn’t seen Stynes since the memorable Studio 10 row.
“I haven’t seen her since that day. She didn’t turn up for work the next day. She was booked to do three days, and that night she text our executive producer and said: ‘I think I’m having a day off’ and never turned up,” she said.
The publication reported she also defended her comments from the 2019 panel discussion, when she asked “when are the Yumi Stynes of the world going to do something” about the social issues affecting Aboriginal communities.
When pressed on the red carpet about how she felt about seeing Stynes at the event, Kennerley said she “had no issue” with her former colleague, but added that she found her comments from three years ago “hurtful”.
Stynes, who recently confirmed her split from husband Martin Bendeler, avoided reporters by skipping the red carpet at the event.
However, later in the day, the two women were seen speaking in footage obtained by the Daily Mail.
Back in 2019, Stynes said she refused to appear on Studio 10 after her fiery debate with Kennerley, as it “would have been walking into a trap”.
“I was all set to go in, and then (on Monday) night I was just reflecting on the people they had booked to come and talk, most of whom were quite right wing, and I just felt like I would have been, by going along to that, I would have been walking into a trap,” Stynes said on her KIIS FM show The 3pm Pick Up.
The race row between Stynes and Kennerley began when the panel was discussing “Invasion Day” protests that year, in which thousands of Australians took to the street to call for changing the date of Australia Day.
Kennerley asked whether any of the protesters had “been out to the Outback, where children, babies, five-year-olds are being raped? Their mothers are being raped, their sisters are being raped. What have you done?”
Stynes said her statements were “not even faintly true” and sounded “quite racist”.
“Keep going then, because every time you open your mouth you’re sounding racist,” said Stynes.
Studio 10 then tried to hose down the racism row by enlisting two prominent indigenous community leaders to join the debate later in the week, all while protesters gathered outside Ten’s Sydney headquarters calling for Kennerley to apologise.
One of the signs was emblazoned with the words “Kerry Anne KKKennerley”.
Meanwhile, Kennerley blasted Stynes for her “unprofessionalism” for failing to turn up to Studio 10 after the stoush. Instead, Stynes appeared on The Kyle and Jackie O Show later that morning and on her own radio show in the afternoon.
Stynes used her radio show to claim Kennerley made an “insensitive” call about indigenous people that never made it to air.
“I was calling her out on that and her discussion of things like humpys and she muttered — it’s not in any of the tapes — but she did mutter it on the show that indigenous people just need to get over it instead of protesting Australia Day, which I thought was spectacularly insensitive,” Stynes said.
Stynes also claimed Kennerley had “a bit of history on this stuff” and needed to reflect on her views.
“I think she’s a lovely person, she’s a legendary presenter but her views need to be updated, it’s like the people who honestly didn’t believe that gay marriage would happen,” she said.
The comments prompted an investigation by ACMA, which ruled that Stynes’ response contextualised Kennerley’s statements. Channel 10 was cleared of any wrongdoing.
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“The segment included material which offered counterpoints to Ms Kennerley’s views and thereby contextualised them as only one of a number of views on the issue,” the report stated.
In the past, Kennerley has insisted there’s no bad blood between her and Stynes. Nine months on from the controversy, Kennerley told Confidential the pair agreed to disagree after their strong words on air.
“Oh yeah, everything is fine … clearly she’s got a strong point of view and she made remarks and that was it,” Kennerley said at the time.
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