Sandilands’ shaming still haunts Darwin’s Jessica

Jessica Mauboy was 16 years old when she stood in front of Australian Idol judges - and the nation - and was told by Kyle Sandilands to “lose the jelly belly”.

That incident alone might have prompted reflection from a more self-aware (or caring) media personality.

Instead, it simply became part of a long track record.

Over the years, Sandilands has built a persona (and career) around provocation, often at the expense of others.

Contestants, colleagues, celebrities, and ordinary people have all, at various points, found themselves on the receiving end of remarks that cross the line from edgy into demeaning. The defence has always been the same: it’s just part of the act.

But when belittling becomes a brand, it stops being incidental and starts being intentional.

The real issue isn’t that Sandilands said controversial things - plenty of broadcasters push boundaries.

It’s that his pattern is to consistently punch down.

Mocking a teenager’s body, humiliating callers, or reducing people to caricatures isn’t bold. It’s lazy.

This week Jess Mauboy spoke to Stellar Magazine podcast, Something to talk about, referencing the incident.

It’s actually the first time I’ve heard Jess talk about how those comments affected her, and still do 20 years later.

“(At the time) I (didn’t) know what to do with that comment. I’m 16. Isn’t this a singing show,” Jess told Stellar’s Sarrah Le Marquand.

“Thinking back it’s bullying and hurtful … that someone put that into my mind.”

As has been widely reported, Sandilands is currently engaged in a legal war with ARN - the owners of the station he and co-host Jackie O were at the helm of for years, following the cancellation of his $100 million contract.

The man wants his contract back and he’s going out fighting. Apparently he has “mortgages” to pay.

It will be interesting to see what eventuates out of this mess.

But I firmly believe there is a broader cultural reckoning happening. I believe audiences - and advertisers - are less willing to accept cruelty as entertainment, particularly when it targets those with less power or visibility.

Sandilands’ career was built on pushing limits.

Losing a major media platform may be the clearest indication yet that some limits are no longer negotiable.

*Main image @Jessica Mauboy/instagram

*Below image from SMH