Kyle Sandilands joked about Olympic breakdancer Raygun’s level of training on Monday morning when he said it must have been easy to earn her doctorate.
The 36-year-old Australian university lecturer, whose real name is Rachael Gunn, made headlines for all the wrong reasons last weekend when she scored zero points on all fronts for her breakdancing routine at the Paris Olympics.
As details about her working life emerged, radio presenter Kyle (53) was slammed over her dance degree, despite saying he had ‘feelings’ for Rachael.
The KIIS FM star came to the dancer’s defense when co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson laughed at her performance.
“Oh, it’s so good, I think. Isn’t she huge? Do you really have to feel for her?” Jackie, 49, said when Kyle offered his condolences for Rachael.
He replied, ‘What do you mean by enormous? In what way? As a disgrace and a joke to the world. Yes. It is embarrassing.’
News anchor Brooklyn Ross responded: “Did she think she was incredible?”
At this point, Kyle took a dig at Rachael’s education, saying, “She did, yeah. She’s a college professor… She has a PhD in dance, which shouldn’t be that hard to get.
Kyle Sandilands, 53, (pictured) joked about Olympic breakdancer Raygun’s level of education on Monday morning when he said her PhD must have been easy to get
“And listen, she threw in some weird moves to be unique. She got zero points. Nobody liked it. It was embarrassing for her,” he added.
When asked what he thought 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 completed her BA in Contemporary Music and her PhD in Cultural Studies.
Her dissertation was about breakdancing culture in Sydney and how it relates to gender, and the academic has subsequently written a number of academic articles on the subject.
Queensland Senator Gerard Rennick recently took to Facebook to criticise the higher education system for allowing such a PhD to be pursued in the first place.
“In the same way that breakdancing has no place in the Olympics, it is fair to say that taxpayers should not provide subsidies to universities to study or teach it,” he wrote.
‘Nothing against breakdancing by the way. It is certainly an honest recreational activity, but that’s it. It should not be subsidized.
It also raises the question of how many obscure and useless courses universities offer that are subsidized by taxpayers.
“It also shows that just because you have a PhD in something doesn’t mean you’re good at it.”
The 36-year-old Australian university lecturer (pictured), whose real name is Rachael Gunn, made headlines for all the wrong reasons last weekend when she scored zero points on all fronts for her breakdancing routine
Many of his followers agreed. One person wrote: ‘It’s a complete disgrace that university students waste their time on this these days.’
“She is living proof that universities are embarrassing,” added another.
A third said: ‘It’s clear that she achieved what she wanted by participating in the Olympics – it’s all part of the agenda.
‘Breakdancing is a fun pastime, but it does not belong in academic institutions and should not be funded by the government.’
This came after Rachael resurfaced with her Australian teammates ahead of the Olympic closing ceremony.
The breakdancer is being hailed as a cult hero after showing off more moves that made her a viral sensation, but for all the wrong reasons.
When details about her working life were revealed, radio shock jock Kyle was slammed for her dance degree, despite saying he had ‘feelings’ for Rachael. Pictured with co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson
She kept a low profile after her disastrous performance in the first women’s competition, but along with her fellow Olympians, she made a heartwarming appearance at Sunday’s closing ceremony.
Video footage shows her showing off her iconic moves before being welcomed with open arms by her Australian teammates.
She was also lifted onto the shoulders of Australian rower Angus Widdicombe, where she imitated her infamous kangaroo dance move, sending fans around the world into hysterics.
A number of high-profile figures came to Raygun’s defense following her performance, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who praised her for putting her best foot forward during the routine.
‘[Rachael] is a university lecturer… She has a doctorate in dance, which shouldn’t be too difficult to get,” he said
“Raygun made a good move, well done and a big compliment to her,” he told reporters in Adelaide on Sunday.
“That’s in the Australian tradition of people trying. She’s tried to represent our country, and that’s a good thing.
“Whether they won gold medals or just did their best, that’s all we asked. It’s the participation that really matters.”
Raygun lost all three of her round-robin bouts by a combined score of 54-0 and admitted afterwards that she could not compete athletically with the tricks and spins of her younger opponents.