‘Studio 10’ host Sarah Harris on Thursday issued an apology to Elliot Page on national television for using the wrong pronouns and then making a joke about it.
While discussing the ‘Juno’ actor, formerly known as Ellen Page, and his statement about coming out as transgender, Sarah “completely stuffed up the pronouns” before trying to “make a joke and move on”.
“Good for her, them, he ― geez that’s confusing already,” Sarah said during a Wednesday segment of the morning program, which led to an on-air apology the next day.
“I need to apologise for my reaction that I had yesterday when you first announced the news about Elliot Page,” she said to her co-host Angela Bishop.
“I completely stuffed up the pronouns, I got flustered, I tried to make a joke and move on. Looking back. that was pretty insensitive. It was a genuine mistake. I am so sorry.”
Calling the joke “a brain snap”, Sarah said that lots of people told her not to apologise but that she insisted on addressing the issue.
“I felt really lousy,” she added. “I’d hate for anyone to think I was attacking them in that way.”
Sarah also apologised on Twitter:
Elliot, 33, this week released a statement posted on Twitter: “Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot. I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life.
“I feel overwhelming gratitude for the incredible people who have supported me along this journey. I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self.”
The entertainment industry has rallied around Elliot in support of his decision to come out, including ‘Neighbours’ star Georgie Stone, who thanked him for his statement.
Georgie, a 20-year-old Australian and the first trans person to take on a full-time role in the soap, shared a screenshot on her Instagram story of the Oscar-nominated star’s post along with the caption, “Thank you Elliot” and a heart emoji.
Elliot’s wife, Emma Portner, posted a sweet message expressing love and support for the actor when she shared Elliot’s announcement, adding in the caption that she was “so proud” of him.
With files from HuffPost US and Alicia Vrajlal.