Prominent entertainment journalist Peter Ford has criticised comedians who mocked the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump on a popular TV game show.
Several panellists made light of the incident during an episode of Channel Ten’s Have You Been Paying Attention, which aired on Monday night.
The former US president miraculously survived after a would-be assassin opened fire at a rally in Butler, in the US state of Pennsylvania, on July 14.
Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, fired from a rooftop 130 yards from the rally stage, hitting Trump in the right ear.
The terrifying incident claimed the life of Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old father who was an innocent bystander at the protest.
Less than 48 hours later, a photo of a bloodied Trump moments after the chaos appeared on HYBPA screens, prompting host and emcee Tom Gleisner to ask celebrity guests if they knew what happened.
Comedian Anne Edmonds immediately pressed her buzzer and gave a quick response.
“A very bad shot,” she replied.
Stand-up comedian Anne Edmonds (pictured) cracked a joke during an episode of Channel Ten’s hit TV show Have You Been Paying Attention last week.
The audience erupted in laughter and cheers before fellow comedian Sam Pang stepped in moments later to give the correct answer.
“Tom was shot… attempted murder,” he said.
Radio host and regular 2Day FM panellist Ed Kavalee couldn’t resist joining in on the joke with a quip about Trump’s wife.
“I think they found the shooter… Melania on the grassy knoll,” he joked.
The clip with the offensive comments was removed from the episode on Channel Ten’s streaming platform.
Ford, who has reported on entertainment news on radio and television for nearly four decades, took to X to express his disappointment.
“An innocent man died, but it’s still considered comedy fodder,” the showbiz veteran fumed.
Fellow comedian and radio host Sam Pang (pictured) stepped in moments later to give the correct answer.
Dozens of viewers on social media agreed and thought the joke was thoughtless.
“It’s embarrassing and disrespectful, but it got a few laughs so they feel good about themselves,” one person wrote.
“As someone with a very dark sense of humor and who is not easily offended, I would objectively say that it was just a weak joke,” another person wrote.
Others called for the episode to be reported to the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
But some said the joke should be seen as a form of humor.
‘It’s so nice to be able to make comedy out of the news regardless of what some (Americans) think,’ one person wrote.
Ford responded, saying the joke lacked awareness that a man had died during the incident.
“I doubt the family of the murdered man feels the same way. It’s not about respecting Trump, it’s about accepting that the lives of innocent people have changed.”
Entertainment reporter Peter Ford (pictured) took to social media to express his disappointment at the prank.
The former US president (pictured) miraculously survived after a would-be assassin opened fire at a rally in Butler, in the US state of Pennsylvania, on July 14.
It has since been revealed that the clip with the offensive comments was removed from the episode on the network’s streaming platform.
“The show is recorded 24 hours before it airs. They had plenty of time to think about airing it!” Ford later added.
Have You Been Paying Attention is a comedy competition show that first aired in 2013 and celebrated its 300th episode on Monday night.
The show features five guests, who compete against each other to answer questions about the most important news events of the week.