Channel Nine viewers have taken to social media to hit out at the network for not doing anything to stop Don Burke appearing on television over 17 years.
It came as two former chief executives condemned the gardening guru on Monday – describing him as a ‘terrible grub’ and a ‘horrible man’.
David Leckie, who was chief executive at the network from 1994 to 2001, compared the Burke’s Backyard host to disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
‘I’ve been trying to think of Harvey Weinstein-type people (in Australia) and the only one I can ever come up with is Burke,’ he told Fairfax Media.
Unlike Weinstein however, Burke is not accused of rape.
David Leckie (left), who was chief executive at the network from 1994 to 2001, compared the Burke’s Backyard host to disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein while Sam Chisolm (right) described Burke as a ‘terrible grub’
He admitted he had heard complaints against Burke but not first-hand.
‘I am not going to mention any specific girls or anything like that,’ Mr Leckie was quoted saying.
‘Through all this period, while all this was bubbling along, I was never challenged by anyone at Nine to say, ‘You’ve got to stop this’ – as in him,’ Mr Leckie added.
Leckie’s predecessor Sam Chisholm agreed, describing Burke as a ‘terrible grub’ who was a ‘disgrace because of his behaviour internally and externally’.
Mr Chisolm conceded there had been complaints made by employees about Burke’s behaviour, but said the network had never paid employees to keep them quiet.
For many viewers, the high-flying bosses’ condemnation on Monday was not enough to offset the fact no one stopped Burke getting on air.
‘Lets talk about how Ch9 execs (sic) allowed Don Burke to get away with workplace bullying, harassment (and worse) for years,’ tweeted Esther.
‘So Don Burke’s bosses say they knew what was happening. If only they’d had some sort of position of power to intervene,’ Imogen wrote in a tweet laced with sarcasm.
‘Odd how Channel 9 execs knew Don Burke to be a most awful human but a) never had a complaint made to them b) kept him on air for decades,’ added Bernard.
‘Odd how Channel 9 execs knew Don Burke to be a most awful human but a) never had a complaint made to them b) kept him on air for decades,’ added Bernard
For many viewers, the high-flying bosses’ condemnation on Monday was not enough to offset the gardening television star Burke (pictured) being kept on air
‘Right, just got notified by ABC about many women who’ve come forward alleging that Don Burke sexually harassed them and was an absolute nightmare to work with. Channel 9 heavyweights covered his a** after they complained about his behaviour. Disgusting!,’ one woman wrote
In a statement released by Burke, he said he ‘never commented on the body shape of any family member’
The Nine Network told ABC and Fairfax they could not find any records of complaints filed against Burke by female employees.
‘Burke’s Backyard was a production of CTC Productions [his company] and they employed and managed all staff,’ the outlets said in a statement.
CTC Productions only started handling Burke’s Backyard in 1991, four years after the show was first launched on the Nine Network.
Burke, 70, has been accused of sexually harassing numerous female colleagues, as well as groping a woman and a teenage girl.
The bombshell claims, made by the Sydney Morning Herald and the ABC, claim the host of Burke’s Backyard touched women inappropriately and made lewd comments.
Burke, 70, has been accused of sexually harassing numerous female colleagues, as well as groping a woman and a teenage girl
The Order of Australia Medal recipient’s accusers included former researchers, producers, crew members, and TV hopefuls.
Burke has strongly denied the allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him and described the women as ‘malcontents’ who ‘bear grudges against me’.
He said he was ‘deeply hurt and outraged at the false and defamatory claims,’ in a statement provided to the ABC.
The former TV icon slammed comparisons to disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and claimed he had a ‘life-long opposition to sexism and misogyny’.
He said Burke’s Backyard was a ‘lone bastion of anti-misogyny’ and deliberately chose the best women in their field
He said Burke’s Backyard was a ‘lone bastion of anti-misogyny’ and deliberately chose the best women in their field.
They were ‘not the typical media females aged under 30 with Barbie-Doll figures’ and he faced opposition to having them on TV as a result.
Nine confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that Burke would not be returning to the network for stories after news of the allegations broke.
‘The allegations are extremely serious; the behaviour described is completely unacceptable and would not be tolerated at Nine today,’ a spokeswoman said.
Burke appeared on an A Current Affair gardening segment in September.