The first time I watched the video for this segment, I really thought and hoped and prayed that it was a skit of some sort or that it wasn’t true and that this was all part of some sick joke that Tuvalu was a part of.

It turns out that it wasn’t.

 

 

Four Sky News Celebrities gathered around a table during the King’s coronation and, on live TV, decided to poke fun at the fact that Tuvalu was “sinking.”

 

It all started when the lady on the far right brought up Tuvalu and how they were “the ones that wanted to stay the longest.”

This prompted Australian-British author, Kathy Lette, to interrupt her and say,

“Tuvalu? Yeah well they’re about to go underwater. Put the snorkels on!”

Right after saying that, she does like a little wave to mimic a cultural dance and the rest of the panel just continues laughing.

The short clip actually caught the attention of the Tuvalu Foreign Minister who responded on Twitter by saying,

“How can anyone find humour in the potential loss of entire countries and cultures due to climate change?

It’s beyond comprehension and completely unacceptable. We must call out this behaviour and hold those responsible accountable for their ignorance.”

 

Pacific Islanders as well as non-Pacific Islanders have all expressed how disgusted they are with Kathy’s words and actions. Twitter right now is just a bucket full of people that are calling Kathy out for her ignorance, and privilege, and not using her platform for good.

 

 

 

 

Let’s hope that Kathy learns from this, but I hope she gives a proper apology first, because what she said was quite uncalled for.