Watch the embarrassing moment Channel Nine NRL presenter Brad Fittler makes an awkward joke about KISSING Olympic heroines Jess and Noemie Fox – and their reaction says it all
A prank by NRL legend Brad Fittler has backfired spectacularly during an interview with Australian Olympic champions Jess and Noemie Fox.
The presenter was joined by the pair on the sidelines during Nine’s coverage of Friday Night Football, but grinned as he said he was waiting for the ‘kiss cam’ to focus on him before starting the interview.
The comment didn’t get much of a positive reaction from the pair. Jess turned around and Fittler replied with ‘no?’, before quickly recovering by asking the gold medal winning duo if they liked the atmosphere in the stadium.
The brief exchange sparked a Twitter debate over whether the comment was sexist or if people should just “calm down.” One viewer described it as “an awkward moment, to say the least,” while another described it as “pure misogyny.”
“A slow train wreck of an attempted interview… if you can call it that,” said another.
“Creepy,” added a third, to which another commenter responded: “It’s just a joke that wasn’t funny, move on.”
“That’s it, what’s going on?” asked another.
“Would everyone settle down here? People get offended by the most ridiculous things! Get a life,” someone else said.
Penrith fans Jess (left) and Noemi (right) Fox endure an awkward interview with State of Origin legend Brad Fittler at Bluebet Stadium on Friday night
The sisters (Jess on the left and Noemi on the right) are both Olympic gold medalists after the Games in Paris
Fittler, regarded as one of the best players in the game, played 336 games for the Panthers and Roosters, as well as dozens of games for teams in New South Wales and Australia.
The 52-year-old is married to Marie Liarris and the couple have two children.
The former Blues coach came under fire in 2009 when he fined himself $10,000 after two women at a Townsville hotel called police after a “man with a hairy chest” was loitering outside their room.
Police arrived at 3:15 a.m. and found Fittler, who had spent the early evening having a few drinks, still outside the door.
Brad Fittler and partner Marie Liarris at Sydney Town Hall for the NRL Dally M Awards in September 2002
The Fox sisters are big fans of Penrith, where Fittler made his first grade debut, and visited the Panthers’ training camp earlier this week.
Talent runs deep in the Fox family: Noemie, like her sister Jessica and mother Myriam, won a gold medal at the Olympics after her kayaking feat in Paris.
Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi is a famous Australian slalom canoeist who achieved Olympic success in her own right.
She won two bronze medals, one at the 1996 Summer Olympics and one at the 2000 Olympics, after which she took on a successful role as a coach, guiding athletes such as her daughters Jessica and Noemie to Olympic glory.
Jess then went on to become Australia’s golden girl, following in her mother’s footsteps with three gold, one silver and two bronze Olympic medals.
Now Noemie has made it a family affair with her first gold medal in Paris, with her entire family jumping in the water to celebrate with her.
Jessica Fox is pictured after jumping into the water to celebrate her stunning victory with her sister
Proud parents Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi and Richard Fox are pictured celebrating with Noemie after her stunning kayak cross victory in Paris
Jess and Noemie Fox visited the Panthers headquarters this week to inspire the squad ahead of the final (pictured, with co-captains Isaah Yeo and Nathan Cleary)
Thanks to the family’s contribution to the Olympics, the Fox family has now achieved more than some of the largest and most established countries in the world.
If you count only the medals they won at the Paris Olympics, the Fox family would rank 17th on the Paris medal tally, above countries such as Brazil, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland.
Their combined medal total from all the Games they have competed in is four golds, one silver and four bronzes, placing them 12th in Paris, above New Zealand and below Canada.
After their gold medal victories, Jess said the family could feel the weight of the nation on their shoulders as they lined up for their events.
“There was definitely a lot of pressure, a lot of expectation. Add to that the role of flag bearer – that’s an absolute honor and a privilege to be in that role and lead our team – but with that comes an extra layer,” she said.
“When I won the kayak race, there was so much joy in that moment, that I had finally achieved that. When I did it for the canoe, it was just disbelief – intense emotion, sharing that with everyone.”
