Phat Joe is in hot water once again with the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) over “homophobic” comments made on his new show.
On Wednesday morning, BCCSA confirmed to Sowetan that it had accepted eight complaints after receiving countless grievances about Phat Joe’s new show Cheeky Palate.
The first episode of the new 1Magic reality show, produced by Basetsana Kumalo’s Connect TV, premiered last Friday to polarising views.
While Sowetan could not establish what the nature of the eight complaints are, it is understood that many viewers deemed some of the comments made on the first episodes as homophobic.
The premise of the 13-part reality show sees high-profile guests every week discussing pressing topics during a dinner party hosted by Phat Joe.
The guests for the first episode were Nobuntu Webster, Gerry Eldson, Gogo Dineo, Joshua Maponga and Zwai Bala offering different views on a range of topics including spirituality and homosexuality.
Speaking on the show about the Bible scriptures on homosexuality, Eldson said:
“The reality of the word of God is that it has been proved, researched and approved as ancient scripture, and also disapproved by many over many centuries. People love to disapprove the word of God. The bottom line is that the word of God is very clear that homosexuality is a sin.”
"Having said that, the first commandment is to love. What does love mean? it means to be sensitive, it means to be charitable, it means to be compassionate, it means to care and in that vain, it wouldn't matter who you are. Homosexual or not, there is always place at the cross for you," she said.
These comments angered a lot of viewers.
"For @1MagicTV to air the homophobic views that were said on #cheekypalate they are just as bad as the people that shared them #NoToHomobia", said @athi_james
"Gerry is out of touch with reality. She is out here thinking christianity is the only way," wrote @kgabo_shilabjwe
“Basetsana isn't catching enough smoke for the homophobia on #cheekypalate. Production companies are also complicit, she signed off on that episode,” @ShreksBeloved wrote on Twitter.
“Bad show with bad intentions...#cheekypalate we know about your homophobic host and other guests but @GerriLiive was shockingly embarrassing and unnecessary! @1MagicTV this is bad tv,” @ThamiDish tweeted.
“This #CheekyPalate show is here to cause drama... Phat Joe is actually perfect for it,” @NomfusiLengs shared on Twitter.
“I can confirm that we received many orchestrated complaints and have eight complaints which we have accepted,” BCCSA registrar Shouneez Martin said.
“At this stage, I can only confirm receipt of the complaints since we are awaiting the broadcaster’s response.”
MultiChoice spokesperson Benedict Maaga said: “We acknowledge concerns expressed by some viewers who may have been offended by some of the views expressed on the show, particularly around the LGBTIQ+ community. The views expressed are not those of MultiChoice which embraces diversity, equality and inclusion.”
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This is not the first time that Phat Joe has caused controversy over homophobic comments. Last year, he was pulled out from Radio 2000 after he made comments about the gay community on his show.
In 2017, while working for regional KwaZulu-Natal station East Coast Radio, Phat Joe was taken to the BCCSA and the station was fined R30,000 for comments he made about down syndrome.
Sowetan had not received a response from Connect TV at the time of publication.
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