Triple M admits Danny Lakey’s ‘Sex Doll’ segment fell below content standards
Content warning: The piece of audio quoted and embedded below includes offensive and sexually suggestive comments about women.
Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) has acknowledged that a segment aired on Danny Lakey’s Triple M nights program was “disrespectful” towards women and fell below “community standards”.
Lakey’s show is heard across the national Triple M Network from 7pm-10pm weeknights. On 11 February, he encouraged listeners to call in and discuss their ideal female appearance, with the goal of creating “the people’s sex doll”.
Triple M nights host Danny Lakey
In a letter seen by Mumbrella and dated 11 March, Triple M Brisbane content director, Scott Menz, acknowledges a complaint from a listener about the segment, which was sent to Triple M the next day on 12 February.
In the letter, Menz said that Triple M and SCA “do not wish to create content that our audience would find inappropriate or offensive, or to make light of, or endorse, behaviour that is disrespectful towards any individual or encouraging violence against women”.
Menz said the comments made by Lakey and listeners “fell below the standards we expect of our shows”.
The segment in question was introduced with its own musical theme to the tune of ‘Sex Bomb’ by Tom Jones and Mousse T, with the voiceover then bragging that the Danny Lakey Show would now be the only radio show to have its own sex doll.
“Yes, a sex doll is in the works! What are we going to be doing with the doll? We haven’t decided yet… don’t get too excited,” Lakey said, before plugging 20% off sex dolls from a retailer called Cassius Sex Dolls.
“I am keen to break the stigma around owning a sex doll, why should women have all the fun?” Lakey said during the segment. Later, he said the plan would be to “bang” the sex doll, and said people at Triple M “who will be appreciative that the sex doll will be around”.
The rest of the segment saw listeners call up and join the “sex doll committee”, making suggestions for how the sex doll should be customised, submitting their ideas for height, bust size, weight and more.
One listener suggested that a lightweight sex doll would be preferable so he could more easily “slam her against the wall”.
SCA has confirmed to Mumbrella that were was no commercial or contra arrangement.
In his letter, Menz said: “We take complaints of this nature very seriously,” noting that Lakey made an on-air apology on 15 February.
“Danny has acknowledged that he and the callers went too far and that he takes full responsibility for the comments that he put to air.”
He revealed that the segments have been removed from the Triple M website and added that the network spoke with Lakey Danny to reinforce expectations and the “high standards” it demands from all who represents the brand.
“We too apologise that we have let you down in this stance and for the concern caused. Thank you for taking the time to write to us,” the letter ended.
Lakey has hosted Triple M nights since July of 2020 when he moved across from Hit Network Late Nights.
The presenter got his start as a casual at Hit 90.9 Gold Coast, and has also spent time at Hit92.9 Perth, Star 106.3 Townsville and Hit Central Queensland, before getting his national break on the mid-dawns show across the Hit Network.
In a statement to Mumbrella, head of Triple M, Mike Fitzpatrick, reiterated the comments made by Menz in his email. He also added that there has been additional training conducted since the incident.
“Additional training and education of the on- and off-air team was undertaken immediately and SCA has reinforced its own and the community’s expectations and the high standards we demand from everyone who represents our brands.”
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Zanda Wilson was a reporter and podcast producer at Mumbrella, specialising in radio reporting. He left Mumbrella in September 2021.
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