Josh Szeps: Extraordinary moment ABC presenter quits live on air: ‘Sick of the BS’

An ABC presenter has quit live broadcasts, saying he was “too feisty” for the gig and wanted “awkward conversations” that did not fit the broadcaster’s restrictions.

Josh Szeps announced he is quitting his ABC Radio Sydney Afternoons show halfway through his Wednesday shift, just before the 3pm news bulletin.

Szeps said he would continue until the end of the viewing year, but would not sign a contract to resume next year.

During a long monologue, Szeps said it could “generate a lot of PR jokes” but “if you know me, you would know that I don’t do bulls***, I’m a real shooter”

“I’m a little too feisty for this gig, aren’t I?” he asked.

Although he said he, like his colleagues and listeners, loved the ABC, he enjoys “above all else” uncomfortable conversations about the suggestive issues we face.

“Having truly rational, bulls***-free conversations about controversial issues is risky these days,” he said.

“The penalties for speaking bluntly, the penalties for trying to lure people out of their thought silos and their echo chambers, are very high.

‘The fact that it is risky only makes it more important to me. The fact that I found a way to do it independently that is financially feasible brings me to the question I’ve been thinking about since talk of the 2024 (ABC) lineup started.”

Szeps, known in the United States as a former host of Huff Post Live, once appeared on the hugely popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast and got into a heated debate with the comedian.

The two clashed in January last year when Szeps retracted Rogan’s claim that young men who received the Covid jab had a higher risk of heart inflammation.

The broadcaster admitted during his monologue that he prefers tough conversations and has become a bit of an ‘outsider’ at the ABC.

“I’m a child of refugees, but I’m a white Australian. I’m gay, but I hate Mardi Gras.

‘I have grandparents who survived the Holocaust, but I am conflicted about Zionism. I’m an ABC presenter, but I don’t like kale.’

He said regular listeners would know that he is “the kid who gets invited to Christmas lunch and then starts talking to people I’m not supposed to talk to.”

“Like Uncle Herbie who might have voted for Pauline Hanson.

“While that old codger eats his way through the potato salad, I’ll have an awkward conversation with him.

“Maybe all I’m doing is making the decent partygoers uncomfortable, but that’s not my intention.

‘Maybe there are values ​​in consciously defying bubbles of conversation safety.

“I don’t want to be at a Christmas lunch where everyone is talking in a way to reassure everyone that they are on the right side of valuable issues.”

Szeps said journalists cannot be “team players” and must be “contrarian.”

“The way to expand the conversation is to expand the number of people having the conversation, not just in ways that prioritize superficial diversity, but in ways that reward true individuality.”

Szeps indicated that he would focus on his podcast Uncomfortable Conversations and create a YouTube program in 2024 with the team behind the satirical Betoota Advocate.

“My podcast has become a place where we have bullshit-free conversations about the most controversial challenges we face,” he said, calling it “one of the most successful Australian interview shows in the world.”

There were also potential book and TV deals in the pipeline.

He noted that Sydney afternoons had been competitive with commercial rival 2GB during his stint and delved into the Melbourne version, which he said had not performed as well.

“I loved spending my afternoons with you,” he said.

“I’m so privileged to have had this show, it’s an incredible honor to have a show on the ABC.”