'MediaWorks made the right call' — 2degrees on X Factor judge sackings
Husband and wife Willy Moon and Natalia Kills have been axed from the show, effective immediately.
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The X Factor judges duo Natalia Kills and Willy Moon have been sacked from the show.
TV3 owner MediaWorks says the husband and wife duo were “no longer suitable to judge The X Factor.”
“While the judges on X Factor are expected to provide critiques of performances, we will not tolerate such destructive tirades from any of the judges," chief executive Mark Weldon said.
One of the sponsors of the show, 2degrees, has welcomed the news of the sacking.
"MediaWorks has made the right call today to remove two of the judges from the X Factor NZ panel. Their behavior was out of line with our company values and we are pleased it has made this decision.
"2degrees sponsors X Factor to help recognise great New Zealand talent and the company will continue to support the show and the remaining contestants."
It's likely behind-the-scenes pressure was applied. This morning, NBR ONLINE reported 2degrees and fellow sponsor McDonald's saying they took the bullying incident very seriously.
However, a poll shows NBR readers are slightly less outraged than the general public.
Fifty-five percent of NBR subscribers taking part in a poll this afternoon said that being associated with bullying would be bad for a brand while 45% said there was no such thing as bad publicity.
MediaWorks says replacement judges will be announced before next week’s show.
Mr Moon had already been in trouble over the weekend for allegedly calling a women a "c**t" in a Kingsland bakery.
The show has also hit controvery over the inclusion of ex-con contenstant Shae Bider, who was previously jailed for manslaughter.
In an early episode, host Dominic Bowden apologised for the way the show minimised the impact of Mr Bider's offending on his victim's family.
Previously: X Factor sponsors on edge following controversial episode
Campbell Gibson
Mon, 16 Mar 2015
Mon, 16 Mar 2015
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'MediaWorks made the right call' — 2degrees on X Factor judge sackings
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