Media outlets sack Chris Smith over drunken Christmas party


Radio talkback and TV presenter Chris Smith has been on the airwaves for 35 years. Photo: Chris Smith website
Disgraced broadcaster Chris Smith has lost his roles with Sky News Australia and Sydneyâs 2GB over his drunken acts at a work Christmas party.
2GB issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon saying it had been made aware of serious allegations against the media personality, arising from a Sky News party at the weekend.
âSky has advised they are conducting an investigation,â it said.
âChris has been stood down from his duties at 2GB until the investigation has concluded.â
Hours later, Sky News Australia said it had also acted.
âFollowing an investigation into the allegations of serious misconduct, we have today advised Chris Smith that his contract with Sky News Australia has been terminated as a result of inappropriate behaviour that is in breach of his contract and company policy,â Sky News chief executive Paul Whittaker said.
Smith hosted 2GBâs mornings show on weekends and had news hosting duties at Sky. He reportedly refused to resign from both.
â2GB has today terminated the services of broadcaster Chris Smith,â the Sydney radio stationâs management said in a statement on Tuesday.
âThe termination follows the Sky News Christmas party at the weekend, where Chris has conceded his behaviour was unacceptable, âapologising profuselyâ for his âdrunken treatmentâ of women.â
Tuesdayâs developments came after Smithâs colleagues at Sky publicly blasted his behaviour, which he had blamed on addiction and a bipolar condition.
Smith issued a âprofuseâ public apology on Monday night to âthe women I upsetâ.
âThatâs not the man I am at work ever, as they will all attest. They have been so supportive to me and do not deserve such drunken treatment,â he said.
However, fellow Sky host Andrew Bolt was having none of it on his program The Bolt Report on Monday night. He called for Smith to go.
âChris, all the very best to you getting over what you say is your addiction and your bipolar condition, but your recovery must take place somewhere else, not here,â he said.
âWith your record you still choose to drink, you did then, and allegedly assaulted and upset young women who must work here.â
Bolt continued to explain that âweâre all good people here at Sky with a culture of looking after each other.
âIf you betray that good trust, besmirch our good name, offend women here, youâre out.â
Bolt said every organisation has âpeople who behave badlyâ and would be judged by âhow they reactâ.
âAnd I say to Chris, âGood luck, but goodbyeâ.â
Another Sky colleague, Rita Panahi, also demanded Smith be kicked out the door.
âWhat he did on Saturday night, how he made a number of women feel, means that in my opinion he can never be on this network again,â Panahi said on her show.
âWomen at Sky News are treated with the utmost respect and we will not have the fine reputation of this network and its people besmirched by one drunken manâs actions, that is not who we are.
âThe women at this station know we have their back, we stand with them and will never tolerate this kind of behaviour.â
Want to see more stories from The New Daily in your Google search results?
- Click here to set The New Daily as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "The New Daily". That's it.








