Channel 7 comedian Mark Humphries responds to claim he ‘ruined television news’ with his satirical segment
Comedian Mark Humphries has criticised his weekly satirical news show on Channel Seven.
The presenter of The 6.57pm News, which airs on Friday nights, has given his opinion to viewers who fail to see the humour in his take on the news.
Speaking on the Stellar podcast Something To Talk About, Humphries said the criticism of his comedy spot stemmed from “hostility to new ideas,” calling the response “bizarre.”
Humphries is asked whether the podcast episode should have been called ‘In Conversation with the Man They Say Ruined Television News Forever’.
“I think that’s fair,” Humphries said.
I think that’s absolutely true.’
‘I was so stunned because I worked for five years on 7.30, the ABC’s flagship current affairs program, which I think of all the programs with a comedy component, it’s the least likely to have one.’
“I didn’t realize people had such strong opinions about the 6pm news and how to defend its integrity.”
Mark Humphries (pictured) has revealed his thoughts to viewers who missed the funny side of his take on the news
Humphries (pictured) said on the Stellar podcast that hostility doesn’t encourage creativity, making people fearful and nervous about trying something different.
He added that his commercial aired in the last three minutes of the workweek, just before Better Homes And Gardens.
Humphries said the beauty of his segment, titled The 6.57pm News, is that critics of his humor know exactly when to tune out.
Humphries said he just tries to ignore the criticism and just focus on his job, without letting it distract him from what he needs to do.
In the podcast, Humphries wonders where the hostility to new ideas comes from.
According to him, this hostility does not stimulate creativity, but rather makes people anxious and nervous about trying something different.
Humphries was brought in after a management change at Seven and a series of redundancies
Humphries said he is gaining new fans worldwide on social media after he took aim at Donald Trump in a recent segment.
“I’m going to sound like an old man saying this, but I’m going absolutely crazy on TikTok.”
“I think we got almost a million views on the most recent segment because I think there are a lot of Americans who don’t like Donald Trump that much.”
‘And that segment is doing very well.’
“Better than The Project,” was another comment.
As for the negative reactions, Humphries previously said he tries to leave it all alone.
‘The worst thing that’s ever been said about me, and the one that’s always stuck with me, is, ‘I look like a Ken Doll gone mad!’