Shock-jock Dominic Harvey has apologised for posting a tweet that connected child rape with a New Zealand X Factor contestant being dropped from the competition.
During an episode of the programme last night, The Edge's Morning Madhouse host wrote "Poor Gracie! First molested in her own bed by uncle bully. And now kicked out of #xfactornz", after contestant Grace Ikanasio failed to make it through to the next round.
The tweet prompted a barrage of complaints, including one person who said as a victim of child rape, his tweet made her feel physically ill.
Another tweeter, @stamspo wrote "@DomHarvey yes because joking about a real problem that many face is so crack up!!!!!!!!!!! and hilarious!!!!!! wow!!!!!!"
Others called for sponsors to pull out of advertising on the radio station, with one tweeting: "As I see it, the only way @TheEdgeNZ does anything about Dom Harvey is if sponsors start pulling out, so that's who you should be pressuring."
Harvey initially defended his tweet online by posting: "I suspect Grace knows she is not that person who played the role of Grace in a fictional film."
However, later he deleted the tweet and wrote: "I have deleted a tweet I wrote last night. It was supposed to be funny. On reflection, it was not. Sorry for any offence caused."
Ikanasio was due to appear on the radio station this morning and on its twitter feed. The Edge called for fans of the show to vote for her as a wildcard entry to get back into the competition.
Last month Harvey was accused of sexism for a tweet saying it was hardly ever a good idea for women to rap.
Harvey tweeted his views about women rapping while watching the auditions for The X-Factor NZ.
"Girls rapping. Hardly ever a good idea," he said.
The tweet sparked a flood of criticism, with many people calling it sexist and out-of-touch.
Kiwi rapper Coco Solid called for people to let The Edge know Harvey's tweet was offensive in a post on her Facebook page.
- Rebecca Quilliam of APNZ
