Disgraced announcer Chris Smith has labeled ex-colleague Ray Hadley a ‘bully’ and ‘hypocrite’ after the 2GB announcer mocked his new radio gig.
Smith lost his job as a 2GB weekend announcer and host of Sky News Australia over his drunken behavior at a Christmas party last year.
The 60-year-old made insulting comments to a female Sky colleague and touched another on the buttocks at a Sydney bar during the network’s end-of-year celebrations.
Hadley was Smith’s most ruthless critic after his misbehavior at the Christmas party, saying that young women “should be protected” from “sampling by drunken fools.”
“I’d be very surprised if he ever returns anywhere,” Hadley told 2GB listeners. And I would say the radio and TV industry won’t be any poorer if he goes.
“It will be much better if he leaves it. So cleaned up to bad waste.’
Disgraced announcer Chris Smith (above) has launched a scathing attack on the air against former colleague Ray Hadley after the 2GB announcer mocked his new radio appearance. Smith got an afternoon program on Radio TNT
Smith has now hit back at Hadley – without naming him – by calling his former colleague a “bully” and a “hypocrite.”
Last Wednesday, Daily Mail Australia announced that international digital talk station TNT Radio had offered Smith a role to host an afternoon show five days a week.
The next morning, a caller from Hadley’s program asked the top-rated presenter if TNT Radio was throwing Christmas parties for its employees.
“I have no idea if they have Christmas parties,” Hadley replied.
“Maybe they should suspend them because of recent events.”
Smith, who worked for 2GB for more than two decades, fired back at Hadley on his new show Tuesday afternoon.
“One critic in particular, the former bully boy colleague of mine at 2GB who will remain nameless, apparently described me as a monster, I’m told,” Smith said.
Ray Hadley (above) was Smith’s most brutal critic following his drunken misbehavior at a Sky News Christmas party. Smith has now hit back at Hadley – without naming him – by calling his former colleague a ‘bully’ and ‘hypocrite’
‘What a hypocrite. What a shocking hypocrite.
“He bullied staff so viciously at two radio stations for decades that many of them still suffer the effects of mental scars and depression.”
Smith, who has been sober for 80 days and has vowed never to drink again, compared his drunken behavior to Hadley’s alleged sober actions.
“He didn’t have to slosh to carry out his vendettas,” Smith said. “He didn’t break it, he did it sober. He did it on purpose.
“Well, I’ll bear what I’ve done much more easily than have to bear his behavior.”
A spokeswoman for Nine Entertainment, which owns 2GB, said Hadley would not comment on Smith’s outburst.
In August 2020, Hadley and 2GB reached an out-of-court settlement with a former staffer who accused the radio titan of 16 years of workplace bullying, harassment and harassment.
One of panelist Chris Bowen’s allegations was that Hadley had called his ex-girlfriend Naomi Shivaraman a “curry muncher.”
“Some people tried to play the moral card about what a monster I was,” Smith told Daily Mail Australia. “I don’t want to name names, but some of those people are gross hypocrites given their own data.” Smith is pictured with wife Susie Burrell
The alleged racial insult, referring to the Indian-born 60 Minutes producer, was part of a litany of other claims that aired in court over several weeks.
Bowen initially came forward with the explosive allegations on Facebook in March 2019 after leaving 2GB in 2017.
He claimed to have been the victim of “no fewer than 1,000” personal attacks by Hadley.
Bowen accused Hadley of calling him a “fucking poof,” a “fucking spastic,” and a “poor fool” during his time with the talkback star.
The then 40-year-old filed a lawsuit in New South Wales District Court, suing Hadley for negligence and breach of duty of care.
During the proceedings, the court heard that Hadley also allegedly called fellow radio host Luke Bona a “lazy, black son of a bitch.”
Hadley and Bowen reached a confidential settlement for an undisclosed sum.
Hadley had apologized for his behavior on-air in 2019, describing his relationship with Bowen as having once been like “father and son.”
“I have admitted my past shortcomings, I have also made no secret of the fact that in recent years I have done everything I can to do better,” he said.
In 2014, Hadley also settled out of court with another former colleague Richard Palmer, who had secretly recorded an allegedly abusive diatribe.
Smith has previously lashed out at media figures who attacked him after disgracing himself at the Sky Christmas event.
“Let’s recap what I did,” he told Daily Mail Australia. “I made rude remarks to a woman about her holiday snaps and I squeezed another in the backside.
“None of them made an official complaint and yet I am called a monster by people whose own record barely shines.
“That’s the biggest piece of hypocrisy I’ve ever seen in the industry.”
Smith had joined his colleagues at Sky’s end-of-year celebration at Ivy Sunroom in Sydney’s central business district, which began around noon on 10 December.
When that formal event concluded in the afternoon, a group, including Smith, moved on to the nearby establishment around 5 p.m.
There was Smith made a comment about a female colleague Instagram photos from a vacation where she said she had “a lot of breasts on the side” and touched another person’s buttocks.
Smith apologized for his actions, blaming them on mixing alcohol with the medications he takes for bipolar disorder, causing him to pass out.
Leading broadcasters attacked the father-of-two, pointing out his past misbehavior while drunk and saying he should no longer work in the industry.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Smith again expressed deep regret for his offensive behaviour, saying “I think I deserved a lot of criticism”.
Smith, who has a history of alcohol-induced workplace misconduct, celebrated 50 booze-free days in January with this Facebook post. He has now reached 80 alcohol-free days
“But gosh, there are some hypocrites in our industry who want to moralize about what I shouldn’t have done,” he said.
Smith said he was strengthened by the support he received from other quarters, particularly on social media.
“I’ve had about 5,000 supporters and listeners reach out and wish me the best and that’s kept me afloat through tough mental times,” he said.
“Actually, complete strangers have sent me messages of support and I never want to let them down again.”
Smith was previously suspended with 2GB for allegedly harassing four women at the radio station’s Christmas party in 2009.
He was also demoted from Nine Network’s A Current Affair after allegedly exposing himself at a farewell party in the late 1990s.
After the 2 GB soiree, Smith admitted to being drunk on champagne and red wine and said he also took “the wrong antidepressants.”
He was soon back at 2 GB, where he had been both weekend presenter and regular stand-in announcer until December.
