Petulant Today show identity Tony Jones has called out fellow Channel 9 reporter Sarah Abo for using a popular US expression ahead of Saturday’s AFL Grand Final at the MCG.
Jones was in a pedantic mood on Friday, instantly reacting when Abo referred to the highly anticipated decider between Geelong and Sydney as the ‘big dance.’
‘TJ, Geelong will enter the decider as favourites. They have won 15 games straight, that’s quite something. Do you reckon they will keep it up on Saturday for the big dance?,’ Abo asked.
It prompted Jones to declare he ‘hates that expression’ and that he was keen to ‘put a veto on it’ before lamenting how ‘Americanisms are creeping in.’
Back in 2017, Jones penned an opinion piece which ran on Today’s website ahead of the AFL Grand Final between Richmond and Adelaide.
He outlined his frustration of the usage of the term ‘big dance’, comparing it to ‘zip’ and ‘dee-fence’.
Today show identity Tony Jones has called out fellow Channel 9 reporter Sarah Abo for using a popular US expression ahead of Saturday’s AFL Grand Final at the MCG
As Jones would be well aware of, the term is often coined by journalists when referring to a sporting grand final.
While some sporting fans may agree with Jones that the cliché is cringeworthy, pulling up his colleague Abo on live television was condescending and unnecessary.
Especially when you consider Jones himself has been the subject of numerous and infamous TV gaffes himself in recent years.
He went viral for all the wrong reasons in 2016 when he attempted to plant a kiss on Bec Judd’s cheek during a news segment in Melbourne – only for the wife of AFL great Chris Judd to turn away in awkward scenes.
Three years later Jones was widely criticised following an interview with Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open.
Osaka had just beaten Petra Kvitova in the women’s singles final and seemed to be overwhelmed during the pair’s interview.
Jones asked Osaka to smile after her Grand Slam title, before suggesting she spend some of her $4.1million prizemoney in Melbourne.
TV veteran Jones was in a pedantic mood, instantly reacting when Ms Abo referred to the highly anticipated decider between Geelong and Sydney as the ‘big dance’ (pictured, Swans fans)
‘It is a very, very big trophy. I’m not sure how you carried it all this way…there’s the smile,’ Jones said on Channel 9 in front of a live audience outside Margaret Court Arena.
‘How will you reward yourself? You do pick up a nice cheque at the Australian Open (for) $4.1 million.
‘We would love you to pump that back into the economy.’
Osaka didn’t know to react – and the ‘creepy’ Jones wasn’t finished yet, commenting on her nationality and family.
‘Your grandparents back at Japan and you left Japan at three and you still regard yourself as Japanese,’ he said.
‘It took a time for your grandparents that you and your sisters wanted to play tennis, and then they finally came on board.’
Jones himself has been involved in infamous TV gaffes with colleague Bec Judd and tennis star Naomi Osaka
Jones was widely panned on social media following his bizarre comments, with one tennis fan tweeting his conduct was ‘beyond embarrassing – rude, patronising, boring and awkward.’
Earlier this month Jones was at it again, blasting the AFL after not receiving an invitation to the AFL’s night of nights, the Brownlow Medal.
Speaking on the Footy Show, the ‘King of Cringe’ told viewers he had been to the past 30 Brownlow evenings, but after he was brushed this year, threw his toys on live television, telling the AFL to ‘get stuffed.’
‘If the AFL is watching, you can get stuffed, it’s a crap night,’ Jones said.
When asked if he may have done anything to warrant the snub, Jones replied: ‘Just promote the game in a good light.
‘I was unaware of it until I heard Damo (Damian Barrett) speaking to the wardrobe department. I’ve gone through all my emails, archives, junk….anyway, so I’ve officially been snubbed.’
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