Dancing With The Stars host Sonia Kruger has landed herself in hot water once again after cracking an “appalling” joke about her former co-host Daryl Somers live on air.
Sky News host Paul Murray has hailed Gold Logie winner Sonia Kruger as a “world class” news and entertainment host.
The reality juggernaut returned to screens on Seven on Sunday night and debuted ten new celebrities competing for the mirror ball trophy.
However, ten soon shrank to nine once it was revealed MasterChef alum Julie Goodwin had bowed out of her performance after sustaining a leg injury, prompting Kruger to make a joke to new co-host Chris Brown that raised eyebrows.
“I was actually very seriously injured on Dancing with the Stars. I had to have, in fact, a host amputated,” she joked to Brown, seemingly in reference to her longtime co-host Somers.
The “mean” joke failed to land on social media. Picture: Supplied/Channel 7.
Kruger and Somers co-hosted the celebrity dance competition together for ten seasons between 2004 and the program’s second revival in 2021.
However, Somers, 72, was sensationally axed after last season to make room for Brown to take up hosting duties with Kruger.
“Just want to confirm the speculation that I will not be hosting Dancing With The Stars in 2024,” Somers said in a Facebook post in October last year.
“Seven let me know recently that they have signed Chris Brown to the network full-time and among his commitments he will be hosting DWTS.
Daryl Somers and Sonia Kruger in happier times. Picture: NCA Newswire.
“I realise how fortunate I have been to have had such a long and wonderful run with the program. Over a twenty year span, starting in 2004, I have completed ten series, the last one being a huge ratings success.”
While the comment got a nervous laugh from the audience on the show, viewers at home quickly took to social media and branded Kruger a “mean girl”.
“Sonia’s repeated b***chy comments about Daryl Somers are not funny, they are unprofessional, mean and plain unnecessary,’ one unimpressed fan wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“If I ever was going to vote for her for the Gold Logie, I’m certainly not going to now. Appalling,” another added.
Somers was axed to make room for new Seven talent Dr Chris Brown. Picture: David Caird.
“The nasty Darryl jokes are pathetic Sonia,” a third person piled on.
Despite high profile financial issues at Seven, the network is understood to have splashed out about $1 million a year for Brown on a two-year contract after wooing the celebrity vet to leave Network 10.
Kruger’s ill-timed joke is not the first time the showbiz veteran has been accused of putting her foot in her mouth.
In one of DWTS’s most infamous moments ever, Kruger made a racially insensitive comment about a “sweat shop of illegal immigrants” working on her wardrobe for the Melbourne Cup carnival during a live episode 2008.
The host then turned to the show’s Malaysian-born musical director, Chong Lim and said “How’s the family, Chong? All right?”
More recently, Kruger fought off a racial vilification complaint lodged to the Civil and Administrative Tribunal after she called for a “complete ban” on Muslim immigration on Nine’s Today show in 2016.