Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Company Apologizes After CEO Calls Emilia Clarke A 'Short, Dumpy Girl' At 'House Of The Dragon' Premiere

Company Apologizes After CEO Calls Emilia Clarke A 'Short, Dumpy Girl' At 'House Of The Dragon' Premiere
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

Australian paid television broadcasting company Foxtel has apologized for its CEO Patrick Delaney's inappropriate remarks about actress Emilia Clarke during the Sydney premiere of HBO's House of the Dragon.

For some reason, Delaney apparently thought it was acceptable to refer to Clarke as a "short, dumpy girl" during his speech at the premiere.


As he relayed the story of how he was late to start Game of Thrones, he said:

"I was like, 'What's this show with the short, dumpy girl walking into the fire?'"

According to Australian news site Crikey, two attendees said fellow audience members were quite uncomfortable with Delaney's quip.

"It felt like he was expecting us to laugh along but people in the room were obviously shocked by it."
"There was a bit of a gasp."

Foxtel has since issued what is essentially a non-apology for Delaney's words:

"The aim was to convey that for him, Games of Thrones was something very different for television in 2011 and that Emilia Clarke went from relatively unknown to one of the most recognised and most-loved actors in television and film. On behalf of Mr Delany, the Foxtel Group apologises if his remarks were misunderstood and caused any offence."

Twitter was largely disappointed but unsurprised by Delaney thinking this was an acceptable anecdote to share in a public setting.

Several people commented on the fact the non-apology came from Foxtel and not from Delaney himself.


@evermoredancing/Twitter

Quite a few were confused by the attempt to spin Delaney's comment as "self deprecating" when he was, in fact, insulting someone else's appearance and not his own.



There were several calls for Delaney to see actual consequences for his remark.

House of the Dragon is set to release on HBO and HBO Max on August 21, 2022 at 9pm EST.

More from Entertainment/tv-and-movies

Ted Cruz; Kelvin Sampson
Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images; Alex Slitz/Getty Images

Houston Fans Livid After Ted Cruz 'Curse' Strikes Again At NCAA Basketball Championship

In 2013, 2016 and 2021, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz was labeled the most hated man in Congress—by members of his own party. In 2023, Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz replaced him as the "most hated."

In a 2016 CNN interview, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said:

Keep ReadingShow less
Harriet Tubman
Library of Congress/Getty Images

National Parks Website Restores Harriet Tubman Photo To 'Underground Railroad' Page After Backlash

Following significant backlash, the National Park Service restored a previously-erased photo of Harriet Tubman from a webpage dedicated to the history of the Underground Railroad, in which she led 13 missions to rescue enslaved people.

A spokesperson said the changes were not authorized by the agency's leadership.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot from Fox News of Jackie DeAngelis and Tommy Tuberville
Fox News

Tuberville Now Claims 'Entire Men's Teams' Are 'Turning Trans' To Play Against Women

Alabama Republican Senator Tommy "Coach" Tuberville appeared on Fox News Sunday to again spread unhinged misinformation about transgender athletes.

Speaking with guest host Jackie DeAngelis, Tuberville stated:

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot from Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver/YouTube

John Oliver Epically Calls Out Awkward Truth Behind Former NCAA Swimmer's Anti-Trans Tirades

On Sunday's episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, the outspoken host devoted the entire program to the attack on trans girls and women who play sports by the GOP.

Oliver began the program saying:

Keep ReadingShow less
man in front of computer code
Chris Yang on Unsplash

Conspiracy Theories That Seem Believable The More You Look Into Them

We tend to think of conspiracy theories as a phenomenon of the digital age. But the internet and mobile devices only allow them to be created and spread faster.

Conspiracy theories have likely been around as long as human civilization has. They are, at their root, just another form of rumors and gossip.

Keep ReadingShow less