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Home / Entertainment

TV panel stunned by 'slavery' joke

By Nick Bond
news.com.au·
15 Oct, 2018 11:53 PM2 mins to read

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Sunrise panel stunned at Kochie’s Usain Bolt slavery ‘joke’. / Sunrise

Sunrise co-host David Koch left his co-stars visibly stunned on-air this morning when he made a reference to slavery during a news item about Jamaican-born athlete Usain Bolt.

Koch was on a panel alongside co-host Sam Armytage, newsreader Natalie Barr and sports reporter Mark Beretta as Baretta read out a story about sporting great Bolt possibly being headhunted from his current position at the Central Coast Mariners Football Club.

"So the Mariners sell him for money, they make a lot of money out of it?" asked Koch.

"It's a win-win: You keep him, great. You sell him, so be it. That's the tough world of professional football," said Beretta.

"Who said slavery was over — anyway. No," said Koch, stumbling over his words before quickly changing topic.

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The cameras soon cut away from the host — but not before the rest of the panel reacted to Koch's clanger.

The unfortunate comment didn't go unnoticed by Sunrise viewers:

Did Kochie really just make a slavery joke? @sunriseon7 #sunrise

— Alistair Roberts (@ShadowRoberts) October 15, 2018

"Who said slavery was over?"

This is what Kochie had to say about the transfer of one of the world's greatest athletes, Usain Bolt, on Sunrise this morning. #sun7

Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/0uHr3QhzKR

— Weh Yeoh (@wmyeoh) October 15, 2018

Kochie, what was the end of your joke? "Who said slavery was...."? @sunriseon7

— Shane Durant (@postyrus) October 15, 2018

Just watched 10 seconds of @sunriseon7 and Kochie nearly blurted out some kind of slavery joke? What the hell dude?

— 👋🥺 (@genericjoesmith) October 15, 2018

Did Koshie REALLY attempt to make a slavery joke, on the back of a Usain Bolt story? #genuinequestion #its2018 #waytotakehumanrightsbacktocenturiespast #idiot #sunrise @sunrise7

— Susie Thompson (@susewiththenews) October 15, 2018

This is what Kochie had to say about the transfer of one of the world's greatest athletes, Usain Bolt, on Sunrise this morning. #sun7

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News.com.au has contacted Sunrise for comment. Kochie's clanger comes a month after Sunrise was found to have breached the TV code of practice over a March 13 segment on Indigenous children that was deemed "highly offensive, racist and divisive".

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