Talk show The Project does a lot better in the media outrage cycle than it does in the ratings, so producers must be thrilled with the backlash over last night’s guest, US comedian Bert Kreischer, who incensed some on social media with his ribald discussion of his daughters’ periods.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW
Starting the discussion by expressing his distaste for the alleged Australian tradition of ‘chugging a shoey’, a distractingly shirtless Kreischer was asked by Waleed Aly about the most disgusting thing he’d ever done.
‘Oh, bro! I’ve seen… my daughters are on their periods right now, are you kidding me?’ Kreischer began, revealing he was ‘learning a lot about periods’.
And that apparently involved throwing one of his girls a ‘period party’.
‘It was the funnest thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve partied a lot,’ he said, revealing his daughter invited two boys to the event.
‘This was the best party. I dressed all in red, made pasta with marinara sauce, drinking pinot noir, laughing at these two boys Max and Carter.’
The party also involved buying a red velvet cake with ‘Jason’ iced across the top.
‘She named her period Jason cos she got it on Friday the 13th,’ he explained, with a picture of the cake displayed on screen – indicating that the choice of conversation on the highly produced show, which is known for its obsession with contriving attempted viral moments, was hardly impromptu.
The social media response was typically intense, with a mixture the usual outrage and delight.
One poster described the segment as ‘out of order, misogynistic, rude, offensive and just not funny,’ with another calling it ‘offensive and so unfunny.’
Then there were the woke responses, which described the party as a great way of demystifying and celebrating a normal bodily function.
‘Periods aren’t taboo!’ said one poster. ‘All females get them! It can be spoken about!’
Another called it ‘awesome and a hilarious way for dads to connect with their daughters!’
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
