A rejected 12-year-old contestant burst into tears on last night’s episode of The Voice Kids, sparking criticism from fans on social media and, perhaps surprisingly, from Channel Nine host Karl Stefanovic.
Romy, now 13, sang Adele‘s Turning Tables in a blind audition, and started crying when none of the coaches turned their chairs to select her for their team.
The moment provoked criticism of the network and an outburst of support for Romy on social media — but many were surprised to hear the Today show host Karl Stefanovic criticise the episode on air this morning.
On the Today show, which airs on the same channel as The Voice Kids, Stefanovic said “it was hard to watch”.
“I just wonder if it should have been shown in the first place, from my perspective with kids watching it last night,” he said.
“I found it incredibly uncomfortable and I just don’t know if my kids needed to see it, that level of rejection… I think it could potentially do more damage than anything else to that child. There’s a need for more protection in that situation.”
Child psychology experts have also weighed in on the debate, with child and adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg telling the Daily Telegraph Channel Nine should not have aired the footage.