Axed X Factor judges skip town

Bye bye from Willy Moon and Natalia Kills. Picture / 3New
Bye bye from Willy Moon and Natalia Kills. Picture / 3New
Axed X Factor judges Willy Moon and Natalia Kills are believed to have left the country last night.

The couple, dropped from the TV3 show for humiliating contestant Joe Irvine on Sunday night, were spotted at Auckland International Airport, apparently before they boarded a Los Angeles flight.

Kills said the 25-year-old had copied her husband "from the hair to the suit" and made her "sick". She also called him a "laughing stock".

Moon then likened Irvine to a creepy killer and said his performance of Cry Me a River was "cheap and absurd".

It is understood the show's sponsors, as well as fellow judges Stan Walker and Melanie Blatt, put extreme pressure on MediaWorks to take action over the incident.

Kills and Moon's departure came hours after the media company announced it would be naming new judges either today or tomorrow.

Andrew Szusterman, the show's co-executive producer, said there had "been an incredible amount of interest from both well-known Kiwi artists and high-profile international acts" to be part of the show.

He also touched on rumours the Sunday night incident had been pre-planned.

"This was not planned. It came as a complete shock, and as we have said and demonstrated by our actions, this type of behaviour is completely unacceptable. The speculation is totally baseless," he said.

The incident, which prompted a large amount of public backlash, hit headlines around the world.

Several high-profile personalities - including league player Benji Marshall and All Black Israel Dagg - publicly condemned the bullying incident.

Lorde and UK singer Ed Sheeran also weighed in.

Lorde sent Invercargill-based Irvine a note and cupcakes in support, while Sheeran tweeted him:

"Don't worry about what anyone else says man. Enjoy yourself with it, that's what singing is about, not what other people think," Sheeran wrote.

In reply, Irvine thanked him and said he wanted to meet him.

Irvine, who made it through Monday night's elimination show, is due back on screens at the end of this week.

 

Add a Comment