'I'm the dumb one': Kyle Sandilands apologises but refuses to quit

Kyle Sandilands has made a lengthy on-air apology on Monday morning after protestors called for his sacking following an unsavory joke he made about the Virgin Mary.

Recognising that he had hurt and offended many of his loyal listeners, Kyle did not hold back in his apology, calling the joke and himself ‘dumb’ - but making it very clear that he will not be standing down over it.

“I know what I said, in reflection, was dumb, and I’m the dumb one for saying it,” he said, “Because who am I to say what you, or you, or you should believe in?”

“Contrary to popular belief, never do I intend to purposely piss people off... never is it purposely done,” he continued.

“I am going to quit? No. Am I going to get fired? No. Am I sorry. Yes. There's nothing else I can do but say sorry”.

Kyle and his KIISFM co-host Jackie O have been off air for the past week on a scheduled holiday as people protested outside their studios and signed a petition calling for Kyle to be dropped.

Many of the offended people were listeners of the show, with 150 writing into the station to make formal complaints - something Kyle conceded he did not expect.

“Truly, from the bottom of my heart, never do I want to make someone so angry that they don’t want to listen to this show or they don’t want to listen to me,” he said.

“What I didn’t realise is that I’d stepped on the beliefs of other people. It was a joke and it was a hugely bad decision… I didn’t plan that joke, I was just spitballing live and I didn’t realise the gravity of it and it did upset a lot of people.

“I get upset at the fact that I’ve caused a lot of grief to a lot of people and what they believe and that’s not what I meant to do.”

He added that even friends of his pulled him up over the joke, and said he did not realise how offensive he was being as religion was never part of his upbringing.

Offensive joke

Kyle made lewd remarks about the ‘real way’ Mary conceived Jesus, while co-host Jackie O protested that religious communities had a right to believe what they wanted to.

The Virgin Mary is central to the Christian belief, as well as playing a part in Islamic scripture, and a video of the exchange was pulled from social media after it sparked protests both online and outside the KIISFM studios.

Islamic commentator Steve Dabliz told Yahoo Lifestyle religious communities were hoping for affirmative action from KIIS.

“It’s an unprecedented outburst which has certainly drawn the Muslim and Christian communities together and we await some positive action from Kyle’s employers,” he said adding he found the comments ‘disgusting’ and ‘unacceptable’.

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