X Factor New Zealand judges sacked for savaging contestant over suit
Natalia Kills and Willy Moon accused of bullying
Two judges on the New Zealand version of The X Factor have been axed from the show after they savagely taunted a contestant over the suit he was wearing.
Husband-and-wife duo Natalia Kills and Willy Moon were sacked by New Zealand broadcaster Media Works for their “destructive tirade” on Sunday night calling it “completely unacceptable.”
Immediately after 25-year-old contestant Joe Irvine’s performance, English singer Natalia launched a stinging tirade on his appearance accusing him of stealing her husband’s image.
She blasted: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I am just going to state the obvious, we have a doppelganger in our midst. As an artist who respects creative integrity and intellectual property I am disgusted at how much you have copied my husband, from the hair to the suit, do you not have any value or respect for originality?
“You’re a laughing stock, it’s cheesy, it’s disgusting, I personally found it absolutely artistically atrocious. I am embarrassed to be sitting here in your presence having to even dignify you with an answer of my opinion.” ****
Comparing Joe to Norman Bates from Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’, Willy chipped in: “I feel like you’re going to stitch someone’s skin to your face and then kill everybody in the audience.”
The harsh comments sparked a huge backlash on social media and a petition to get Natalia axed from the show picked up 70,000 signatures in 24 hours.
The YouTube video of the tirade has been viewed over 1million times with 5,000 dislikes compared to 1,000 likes.
Explaining the decision to axe Willy and Natalia, Media Works CEO Mark Weldon said: “While the judges on X Factor are expected to provide critiques of the performances, we will not tolerate such destructive tirades from any of the judges.
“Contestants put their all into this competition and they should expect to receive feedback and criticism that is professional and constructive.
“We no longer have confidence that Kills and Moon are the right people to perform the role of X Factor judges and they will leave the show, effective immediately.”
Natalia took to social media after the sacking to thank fans for their “support and understanding.”
However, All Saints star Melanie Blatt wasn’t very complimentary of her former co-judge calling her a “t***” on Twitter.
Born Natalia Noemi Keery-Fisher in Bradford, Natalia Kills’ career emphatically failed in the UK. Her 2011 debut ‘Perfectionist’ hit 139 on the album chart, while 2013 follow-up ‘Trouble’ failed to chart at all.
New Zealander Willy Moon’s sole UK hit single ‘Yeah Yeah’ reached no.26 in 2012 thanks to its usage on an iTunes advert.