Kmart’s Hamas mistake – which saw bags of Christmas ham emblazoned with the words “Merry Ham-mas” pulled from shelves – has officially gone global after comedian John Oliver roasted the Australian retailer.
The offending bags were removed from Kmart stores and website after the retailer’s parent company, Wesfarmers, received a complaint from the Australian Jewish Association (AJA) last Wednesday.
British-American comedian John Oliver, host of Last Week Tonight, shared a clip of Channel Nine presenter Brooke Boney announcing Kmart’s decision to ditch the bags.
“Yeah, it’s so similar,” Oliver joked.
“It would be like naming your child John Blaine-gacy, it’s too close for comfort.”
“But think about the Australian Kmart, how were they supposed to know that Hamas was going to launch a terrorist attack so close to hammas season?”
The host continued, “Seems like Ham-mas starts a little earlier every year, doesn’t it?” One day it’s ham, the next day your neighbor hangs up the ham lights.
“Things are understandably very tense right now, and it seems like everyone finds themselves making mistakes, and I mean everyone.”
Comedian John Oliver, host of Last Week Tonight, asked his audience to “think Australian Kmart” following the release of the controversial “Merry Ham-mas” bags last week.
Kmart removed a $4 “Merry Ham-mas” bag from its online storefront last week after the Australian Jewish Association pointed out the obvious error – and now the gaffe has gone global
In a statement, Kmart confirmed the bags had been removed from shelves.
“We were wrong on this occasion and we apologize unreservedly,” he said.
“When designing this product, we clearly did not think through all the implications and the product has been withdrawn from sale.”
This comes after the AJA wrote on Twitter last week that it wanted to help Kmart avoid embarrassment by pointing out the obvious error.
‘Yes, it’s real!! While this may seem funny (the AJA committee has thrown in a few non-PC jokes), it’s really not a good idea,” he wrote.
“We suspect that a product manager could cause some embarrassment to the company.
“We have therefore politely written to Wesfarmers… suggesting that the product be withdrawn.”
Less than an hour after their initial message, the group said they received a response from Kmart senior management.
By 5 p.m. that day, Kmart had removed the bag from its storefront, but not before it spread across the Internet, sparking waves of ridicule.
Many customers said they thought the photos of the bag were a parody before realizing it was real.
One person said the pop-up Christmas ham bag was now destined to become a collector’s item thanks to its short lifespan on sale.
Another pointed out that Hamas itself would not be a fan of the product “given that the majority a) would not celebrate Christmas and b) would probably not eat pork.”
Israel declared war on Hamas after the Palestinian terror group, which controls the Gaza Strip, launched a series of terrorist attacks on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people and taking around 240 others hostage.
In a statement, Kmart admitted to being “wrong” and “unreservedly apologizing” (photo,
