Samantha Armytage, the host of Australian morning television show Sunrise, has been trending on Twitter overnight after a clip of her making "racist" comments to twins of mixed-race parents has resurfaced online.
Back in April 2015, Armytage was interviewing British mixed-race twins Lucy and Mary Alymer live on-air. The non-identical sisters were completing a series of media appearances brought about by their unique circumstances as twin siblings.
Born to a white father and half-Jamaican mother, Maria was born with black skin and Lucy was born with white.
Watch - Armytage has been called out for her comments made during the interview:
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However, while introducing the sisters, Armytage says: "The Alymer twins come from a mixed-race family in the UK.
"Maria has taken after her half-Jamaican mum with dark skin, brown eyes and curly, dark hair but Lucy got her dad’s fair skin - good on her - along with straight red hair and blue eyes."
At the time, Armytage's comments
Per news.com.au, Armytage later told News Corp Australia she was "mortified" at being accused of making a racist comment, saying:
"I would be mortified if anyone thought I would say or think anything racist. It’s not in my nature. To anyone who I might have offended, I’m sorry."
However, amid the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests around the world, the clip has once again resurfaced on social media, leading to Armytage trending on US Twitter.
One Twitter user wrote: "Glad to see Sunrise is being exposed internationally for the racism they enable. Like Pauline Hanson’s regular segment. And this horrible moment by Samantha Armytage - who should have been canned."
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Another person tweeted: "Samantha Armytage kind of reflects how stupid people on mainstream television are with a few exceptions. What a senseless crass racist thing to say. We have a long way to go in Australia."
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And it didn't end there for Armytage:
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But a Seven spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that Armytage was actually "taking a dig at herself". They said: "Regular members of the Sunrise audience or anyone who has seen the clip in full will know that Sam was taking a dig at herself.
"She frequently jokes about the fair skin that runs in her family and difficult it can be to manage in extreme environments."
According the Mail, Samantha has since set her Instagram page to private and hasn't posted anything for three days.
Unrest continues to unfold across the US, as protests - some peaceful, some violent - are calling out the systemic injustices carried out against black people, not least seen by the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.
As well as a call for justice, these ongoing protests are also demanding an end to police brutality and the racism that is so deeply entrenched in America and the western world.
The message is simple: Black lives matter.
VT proudly supports Black Lives Matter, and for ways to contribute to the cause, please click HERE.