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Husband-and-wife duo Natalia Kills and Willy Moon sacked by MediaWorks for ‘destructive tirade’ against Joe Irvine, 25
Two judges on New Zealand’s X Factor have been fired for “bullying” a contestant live on air after a diatribe that makes Simon Cowell look encouraging.
Husband-and-wife duo Natalia Kills and Willy Moon were sacked by MediaWorks, the owner-operator of TV3, the network that airs X Factor New Zealand, for their “destructive tirade” on Sunday evening.
Kills criticised a 25-year-old contestant, Joe Irvine, on Sunday’s show for allegedly stealing her husband’s look “from the hair to the suit”. She called him “disgusting” and “creepy” and asked: “Do you not have any value or respect for originality?”
Despite the obvious discomfort of their fellow judges and booing from the audience, Moon joined in, likening Irvine to “Norman Bates dressing up in his mother’s clothing” before suggesting he might murder the crowd.
In a statement announcing the pair’s sacking on Monday, MediaWorks’ chief executive, Mark Weldon, said Kills’ and Moon’s comments were “completely unacceptable”.
“While the judges on X Factor are expected to provide critiques of the performances, we will not tolerate such destructive tirades from any of the judges,” he said. “Contestants put their all into this competition and they should expect to receive feedback and criticism that is professional and constructive. We no longer have confidence that Kills and Moon are the right people to perform the role of X Factor judges and they will leave the show, effective immediately.”
On Sunday night, TV3 published a statement to Facebook explaining that live television could be “unpredictable”.
“TV3 does not condone bullying and are currently on-site with Joe who is doing well,” it read.
Fellow X Factor New Zealand judge, Mel Blatt, formerly of the British girl group All Saints, criticised Kills for her comments on air, and later called her a “****” on Instagram.