TV executive insults Emilia Clarke in a speech at House of the Dragon premiere

Let’s play a game of “good idea, bad idea.” Is it a good idea or a bad idea to get up in front of an audience who have assembled to watch the first episode of Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon, thank them for coming, ask them to please enjoy the show, and sit down? Personally, I’d say that’s a good idea.

Okay, a new scenario: what if you talk to that same audience, insult one of the most famous actors from the original show, and then act surprised when no one laughs? That’s what happened to Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany when he addressed the crowd at the Australian premiere of House of the Dragon at the Entertainment Quarter in Sydney. He was talking about how he didn’t start watching Game of Thrones until after it got popular, and dropped this gem: “I was like, ‘What’s this show with the short, dumpy girl walking into the fire?’”

He’s talking about Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones. According to onlookers, it was an incredibly awkward moment. “It felt like he was expecting us to laugh along but people in the room were obviously shocked by it,” one attendee told Crikey, which is a great name for an Australian news outlet. “There was a bit of a gasp,” said another one.

TV executive thinks it’s a good idea to get in front of a crowd and call Emilia Clarke a “short, dumpy girl”

House of the Dragon will be airing on Foxtel services in Australia, so this isn’t a great look. I mean, it wouldn’t be a great look if you said this under your breath in a corner where no one can see you,  because it’s a gross and stupid thing to say, but it’s especially bad if you do it in front of audience of real human people who have memories and vocal chords.

A Foxtel Group spokesperson later put out a statement: “The aim was to convey that for him, Games of Thrones was something very different for television in 2011 and that Emilia Clarke went from relatively unknown to one of the most recognised and most-loved actors in television and film,” they said. “On behalf of Mr Delany, the Foxtel Group apologies if his remarks were misunderstood and caused any offence.”

I love half-apologies like this. Would it be that hard to say, “Mr. Delany said something stupid and dumb and offensive and he’s sorry and it won’t happen again”?

Anyway, House of the Dragon premieres this Sunday, August 21. You can next see Clarke in The Amazing Maurice and then in Secret Invasion on Disney+.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels