Deb Knight slams Kyle & Jackie O Show's 'appalling' prank call

2GB host Deb Knight has slammed her radio rivals at the Kyle & Jackie O Show for airing a prank phone call that she deemed 'appalling'.

Deb, who also hosts A Current Affair, took issue with Wednesday's 'Only Lying' segment that saw a woman lie to her partner about damaging his motorbikes in order to win $1,000.

During the phone call, the woman named Jess is berated by her partner, Jake, who swears at her and tells her to 'pack her s**t' and move out before he returns home.

When the ruse is revealed by KIIS FM hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson, Jake refers to Jess as 'an object' and tries to claim the cash prize as his own.

'It is appalling'

During her afternoon show on 2GB, Deb took aim at Kyle & Jackie O's producers for allowing the 'appalling' segment to go to air when they had the ability to 'dump' the recording ahead of time.

"The thing is all radio stations including this one, we all have delay built-in," she said.

"So if someone says something inappropriate or appalling or they swear or whatever, we can bring in that 'dump button'.

"The team of producers could've done that on the Kyle & Jackie O Show and they didn't. Jackie was appalled but it went to air."

In a statement shared with Yahoo Lifestyle, an ARN spokesperson said:

"ARN takes the issue of respect for women and women’s safety seriously. This has started an important conversation at ARN about how every one of us are part of this discussion on this important social issue."

'Only Lying'

Jess told hosts Kyle and Jackie O ahead of her call with Jake that he was 'really obsessed' with his two motorbikes.

"They come before me and normally come before the children as well," she said.

When Jess told Jake that she'd accidentally damaged them in the garage, Jake went on an expletive-filled rant and refused to accept her apology.

"I didn't mean to," Jess told him, to which he replied, "I don't give a s**t if you mean nothin'.

"Pack your s**t and f*** off. I'll be home in 15 minutes, see ya later."

After the truth comes out, a shocked Jackie O questioned Jake's decision to tell Jess to move out — his response was to call Jess 'an object'.

"You were prepared to kick her to the curb over a motorbike," Jackie O asked, incredulous. "It's just an object."

"So is she," Jake replied. he then tried to draw Kyle into the conversation but he said he wanted to stay out of it.

Final word

Deb concluded her discussion by acknowledging that the phone call may have been staged in order to increase the couple's chances of winning the 'Only Lying' challenge.

Either way, she said that the segment 'normalised' a particular type of treatment of women by men that she deemed 'appalling'.

"It might've been a stitch-up. Maybe it was all planned by Jake and Jess to win their $1,000.

"But it's normalising this type of language and this destructive behaviour which I think is appalling."

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