BREAKING: Karl Stefanovic caught up in exploding 60 Minutes scandal over Meghan Markle
Their story about Meghan Markle hits major backlash due to booking of Katie Hopkins
Karl Stefanovic’s big return to 60 Minutes has gone horribly wrong already, with a furious backlash over the show’s decision to book a notorious troll as an expert commentator in a story about Meghan Markle.
The story, which is being widely slammed as a hatchet job on Twitter, is being promoted with clips showing infamous British media figure Katie Hopkins ripping into Meghan.
WATCH: Karl Stefanovic's 60 Minutes report on Meghan Markle has been slammed - see the unsettling promo that has enraged Twitter
Hopkins, who has no known expertise on the royal family, is instead infamous in the UK for her inflammatory comments, some of which have been slammed as 'racist'.
Karl is seen interviewing Katie and squiring her around London, including chatting with tourists outside Buckingham Palace.
In one scene, Karl is shown expressing distaste at Hopkins’ comments – even though, given Hopkins’ notoriety, she could have only been booked to include some inflammatory content to spice up the story.
‘I’m offended,’ Karl is seen reacting in one scene, as Hopkins throws around the entirely expected series of horrible observations and judgements.
‘I’m known as the biggest bitch in Britain,’ she boasts.
Channel 9
‘[Meghan] wears bad clothes,’ she snipes in another scene. ‘When did we ask for that?’
Twitter has been deluged with complaints about the story, before it even airs. At the time of writing, Katie Hopkins was the number one trending topic, with many tweets slamming her use on 60 Minutes.
Many social media users expressed fears about the motivation for including Hopkins.
‘I saw Katie Hopkins face in the promo and knew instantly this would be racist garbage,’ wrote one Twitter user.
Another wrote that the story ‘turns Stefanovic in to a bigger joke'.
‘Katie Hopkins is a grotesque racist & the LEAST credible person in the UK. This is an embarrassment to every Australian.’
Yet another wrote, ‘Australia, imagine an angry troll under a bridge spewing hate, that’s Katie Hopkins.’
Channel Nine has yet to respond to the backlash.
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