Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith controversy Stynes caused controversy on
The Circle on 28 February 2012 by commenting on a photo of
Victoria Cross and
Medal for Gallantry recipient, Corporal
Ben Roberts-Smith, in a swimming pool by saying that "He's going to dive down to the bottom of the pool to see if his brain is there."
George Negus added to the controversy by making a comment which was interpreted by some as questioning whether Roberts-Smith was "up to it in the sack". The incident was criticised by the
Returned Services League, the Defence Minister,
Stephen Smith, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence.
Big4,
APT, SwisseVitamins, Saria Shoes,
Yoplait, Hoselink,
Mirvac Hotels, Jamaica Blue, Michael Hill Jewellers, Dulux and
Mitsubishi dropped sponsorship or pulled advertising from the show, while fashion label Otto Mode continued their sponsorship. Despite the loss of nine sponsors, Channel 10 resisted calls to sack Stynes from the show Telstra sacked Negus as an event host because of his remarks. Ironically, the controversy came just five days after the debut of the short-lived
Breakfast starring controversial kiwi
Paul Henry, who has a history of controversial remarks, most notably the "Sir Anand Satyanand" and "Sheila Dikshit" controversies, which led to his resignation from
TVNZ. ==Ratings==