Kyle Sandilands mocked Olympic breakdancer Raygun’s educational level on Monday morning when he said her PhD must have been easy to achieve.
The 36-year-old Australian university lecturer, whose real name is Rachael Gunn, made headlines over the weekend for all the wrong reasons when she received zeros across the board for her breakdancing routine at the Paris Olympics.
As details about his work life were revealed, radio host Kyle, 53, criticised his dance degree – despite saying he has “feelings” for Rachael.
The KIIS FM star began defending the dancer when co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson laughed at her performance.
“Oh, she’s really good, I think. Isn’t she huge? Do you really need to have feelings for her?” Jackie, 49, said when Kyle expressed his sympathy for Rachael.
He replied, “What do you mean by huge? In what sense? As a disgrace and a mockery of the world. Yes. It is shameful.”
News anchor Brooklyn Ross chimed in, saying, “Did you think that was amazing?”
At this point, Kyle criticized Rachael’s upbringing, saying, “Yes, she did. She’s a college professor… She has a PhD in dance, which shouldn’t be too hard to get.”
Kyle Sandilands, 53 (pictured), mocked Olympic breakdancer Raygun’s educational attainment on Monday morning when he said her PhD must have been easy to achieve.
“And listen, she did a couple of weird moves trying to be unique. She got no points. Nobody liked her. It was embarrassing for her,” he added.
Asked what he was thinking when he saw Rachael breakdancing, Kyle said: “When I saw that I thought I could have represented Australia myself.”
Rachael is a lecturer at Macquarie University, where she earned her BA in Contemporary Music and her PhD in Cultural Studies.
Her PhD thesis focused on breakdancing culture in Sydney and its relationship to gender, and she subsequently wrote several journal articles on the topic.
Queensland Senator Gerard Rennick recently took to Facebook to criticise the higher education system for allowing such a PhD to be studied in the first place.
“Just as breakdancing has no place in the Olympics, it is fair to say that taxpayers should not be subsidising universities to study or teach it,” he wrote.
‘By the way, I have nothing against break dancing. It is certainly an acceptable recreational activity, but nothing more. It should not be subsidised.
‘It also raises the question: how many obscure and meaningless courses are offered by universities that are subsidised by taxpayers?
“This also shows that having a PhD in something doesn’t mean you’re good at it.”
Australian university lecturer, 36 (pictured), real name Rachael Gunn, made headlines over the weekend for all the wrong reasons when she scored zeros in every aspect of her breakdancing routine.
Many of her followers agreed, with one person writing: “It’s an absolute disgrace that college students waste their time on this nowadays.”
“She is living proof that universities are disgraceful,” added another.
A third said: “It’s clear she’s got what she wanted by going to the Olympics – it’s all part of the agenda.”
‘Breakdancing is a fun recreational activity, but it has no place in academic institutions and should not receive public funding.’
This comes after Rachael reappeared with her Australian teammates ahead of the Olympic closing ceremony.
The breakdancer has been treated like a cult heroine after performing more moves that made her a viral sensation for all the wrong reasons.
When details about her work life were revealed, radio host Kyle criticised her dance degree, despite saying he is “sorry” for Rachael. Pictured here with co-host Jackie “O” Henderson
She kept a low profile after her disastrous showing in the inaugural women’s competition, but joined her fellow Olympians in a moving appearance at Sunday’s closing ceremony.
In a video she can be seen showing off her iconic moves to a standing ovation from her Australian teammates.
She was also hoisted onto the shoulders of Australian rower Angus Widdicombe, where she mimicked his infamous kangaroo dance move that sent fans around the world into hysteria.
Several high-profile personalities have come to Raygun’s defence in the wake of his performance, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who thanked him for giving his best during the routine.
“(Rachael) is a university professor… She has a PhD in dance, which shouldn’t be too difficult to get,” she said.
“Raygun got a chance, good for her, and a big shout out to her,” he told reporters in Adelaide on Sunday.
“It’s part of the Australian tradition that people are encouraged to try it. She has tried it representing our country, and that’s a good thing.
“Whether they won gold medals or did their best, that’s all we ask. What really matters is participation.”
Raygun lost all three of his round-robin battles by a combined score of 54-0 and admitted after the event that he couldn’t compete athletically with the tricks and spins of his younger opponents.