Grace Tame’s close alliance with Anthony Albanese has turned sour after she fired a brutal shot at the Labor Opposition Leader over his interview with Alan Jones.
Mr Albanese sat down with the Sydney broadcaster in his new studio on Monday and posted a selfie of the pair shaking hands, sparking a public scolding from the child sex assault survivor and former Australian of the Year.
A disappointed Ms Tame didn’t mince her words when she made her feelings known about the photo a few hours later. It comes just weeks after she had sat down with the Labor leader for a glowing magazine interview.
‘Side eye SIDE EYE,’ she captioned the photo of Mr Albanese with Jones.
Grace Tame (left) has slammed Labor Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese (right)
‘Yeah nah, this is where you could’ve just frowned and walked off. Or better yet, not done it,’ Ms Tame tweeted.
‘There are plenty of other ways to broaden your messaging without enabling known agents of sexism and abuse. None of us is obliged to speak to bigots. The optics of this aren’t good.’
Jones later issued a statement saying Ms Tame was entitled to her opinion.
The angry outburst was sparked by Mr Albanese sharing a photo from his sit-down interview with the controversial broadcaster, which will air online 8pm Monday.
‘Good to chat with Alan Jones today in his new Sydney studios,’ the photo was captioned.
Many jumped to the Labor leader’s defence following Ms Tame’s outburst.
‘Can’t agree. As prospective PM, Albanese has a duty to reach those diametrically apposed to his beliefs. The show, whether you like Jones or not, allows for this – the possibility of changing hearts & minds. In no way does it enable Jones’ behaviours. That’s unfair,’ one wrote.
A woman added: ‘It’s politics, not a dinner invitation. He has to try to appeal to different voters. And he cannot be seen to be a ‘lefty’, as that now has a toxic association. It’s tough but that’s the reality.’
One man speculated whether the photo may not be all as it seemed.
‘That’s not a smile, it’s gritted teeth,’ he wrote.
It’s unknown whether the side eye and ‘frowning and walking off’ references in Ms Tame’s tweet were in reference to her infamous meeting with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The furore with Ms Tame was sparked by the Labor Opposition Leader posting a photo shaking hand with controversial broadcaster Alan Jones (right)
Grace Tame made her feelings known about Mr Albanese’s sit down with Alan Jones
The then-Australian of the Year made headlines in January when she refused to hide her displeasure of being at a morning tea hosted by the prime minister and his wife Jenny at The Lodge in Canberra.
Ms Tame was seen giving Mr Morrison a less than friendly handshake with a scowl on her face before throwing him an icy sideways glance.
The brutal shot at Mr Albanese comes after two week after Ms Tame and Mr Albanese sat down together for a emotional interview for InStyle magazine.
They addressed a wide range of topics, from Mr Albanese’s upbringing, Mr Morrison, gender diversity, the Covid pandemic and Ms Tame’s infamous bong photo.
Grace Tame was left unimpressed by Anthony Albanese’s sit down with Alan Jones
The Labor leader recounted to Ms Tame how his single mother, Maryanne, struggled to bring him up in her Camperdown council house in Sydney’s Inner West in the 1960s – bringing Ms Tame to tears.
Midway through the video link interview, Mr Albanese suddenly broke off his story when he noticed the tears streaming down Ms Tame’s face.
The pair later sparked criticism for steering clear of discussing bullying allegations from Labor’s ‘mean girls’ following the recent death of Labor senator Kimberley Kitching from a sudden heart attack.
They also posed for a selfie on Australia Day, a day after her frosty exchange with the Prime Minister.
‘With our legendary Australian of the Year, Grace Tame. She’s using her voice to stand up for survivors of child sexual abuse everywhere. Her strength makes Australia stronger,’ Mr Albanese tweeted at the time.
Grace Tame (right) came under fire earlier this year over her frosty exchange with the Prime Minister (left) at an Australian of the Year function at The Lodge
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk