People call for the Duchess of York's title to be stripped over Epstein relationship

Entertainment Editor Peter Ford on Fergie’s friends defending the Duchess as calls grow for her title to be stripped, TV operators refusing to air Jimmy Kimmel Live amid its return, and Robert Irwin set to tango on DWTS.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, friends of Sarah and the Duchess of York have
come to her defense as pressure mounts for her to
be stripped of her royal title.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
It's a whole big deal.

Speaker 3 (00:09):
Let's get some more his entertainment, Ellaputiford Pete. This is
all to do with Fergie's former friendship with Jeffrey Epstein,
of course.

Speaker 4 (00:15):
Yeah, and the resurfaced email groveling and apologizing to him
that she sent two months after she said I'll never
have anything to do with that man again.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
I'm so ashamed of myself.

Speaker 4 (00:26):
Now, the scenario that's been put forward is that he,
being Epstein, was going to sue Fergie and she was
trying to avoid that. So she claims on advice that
she was given, That's why she wrote that grovelling letter. Now,
some people are not going to buy that. And what
was he going to sue about? By this point, he
had already been convicted as a pedophile and a sex trafficker,

(00:49):
so he had no reason to be able to go
and sue. So some friends are coming forward. They are
being pretty much drowned out by protests. But Lizzie Kundy
is quite a high profile television personality in England. She
appears on the Jeremy Vine Show as this is a
regular gig for her, so she didn't go on the
show specifically to do pr for Fergie, but obviously they

(01:10):
asked her about it, and this is what she had
to say.

Speaker 5 (01:14):
She's in a bad way, Jeremy, and in what sense
and the fact that she's you know, this is the
last thing she wanted, and she's extremely regretful. It was
a giant mistake. It was a giant mistake ever being
friends with him in the first place. And I'm afraid,
you know, he's a toxic person, even from the gravy.
Did you give her any advice last night? I, you know,

(01:38):
I just you know, I just wanted to say, she's
a human being and a mother.

Speaker 4 (01:44):
And did you say, just get out the duchess thing,
just resign as the duchess because then the heats off.

Speaker 5 (01:49):
I think just laylow.

Speaker 4 (01:51):
I think laying low may not be the solution this time,
but other people are coming forward. Andrew Lowney is a
very well respected author. He did the biography of Prince Andrew.
Not a massive fan of the Yorks, and he thinks
it is time for those titles to go and he's
also made the quite remarkable claim that not only did
that letter get written, but also she then went to

(02:14):
stay with him in New York as well.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Have a look at Andrew Lannie.

Speaker 5 (02:19):
What more can you tell us about her relationship with
Epstein and this fifteen grand and the fallout?

Speaker 6 (02:27):
Well, it's not fifteen grand. I mean my sources tell
me it was more like two million pounds. I mean,
Epstein wouldn't have bothered with small sums like that, and no,
that would she. I think also she can maintained to
contact with Epstein long after she claimed to have broken contact.
I mean here she's saying she's been forced by threats
of defamation. That it's a pretty effusive response to that.

Speaker 4 (02:49):
So yeah, Angrew Lannie certainly has a different version of events.
So I'm not sure how this is going to land.
But seven charities want nothing to do with her, and
those calls to once and for all banish both her
and Prince Andrew from any public gatherings that involve the
royal family because it's simply a bad look.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
Now, now the clock is chicking, it would seem for
the Duchess. Moving on page, Jimmy Kimmel is just hours
away from returning to his late night slot. But apparently
large parts of America still won't be able to see
the show.

Speaker 4 (03:21):
Yes, so they would be taping that show literally right now.
So if we do get a teaser in the next
couple of ours will bring it to you.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
Sometimes they do that, sometimes they don't.

Speaker 4 (03:30):
It won't actually go to air for several hours yet,
but that moment, of course where he walks out will
be one of those great TV moments of.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
The year, if not of television history. You know, to
the public.

Speaker 4 (03:42):
Voice and demands to bring him back, and finally it's
going to happen. You know there'll be a standing ovation
and tears. But you're right, there are a lot of
stations that are not taking the show still. Yesterday we
talked about Sinclair Broadcasting and their stations, thirty eight stations
that are not going to take it, and Next Star,
who the other major affiliate group they are, thirty two stations,

(04:06):
they also are not going to take it. Now, I
might point out, whether it's relevant or not, Next Star
is in the verge of a massive merger deal that's
worth about I think it's about nine billion Australian dollars
and they need government approval for that. So some people
are putting two and two together and getting four. So
that's seventy stations not taking the show, and they, oddly

(04:29):
enough includes Las Vegas, which is where Jimmy's from originally,
and also Washington, d C. Where all the power players
are so as to say, we'll keep across it over
the next few hours if we get anything.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
Yeah, everyone waiting to see what words come out when
he first opens his mouth there before Kimmel returns, Robert
Irwin's going to be stepping out on Dancing with the
Stars over in the US. What's he performing this week?

Speaker 2 (04:49):
What do we need? It's tango night.

Speaker 4 (04:51):
Yeah, and they've dropped a little bit of a teaser
looks like the full dress rehearsal. Again, the show hasn't
actually gone to where it will stay across it, but
here's a little of the teaser.

Speaker 7 (05:00):
In the room, people.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
Got a funny feeling he's going to nail it, yet.

Speaker 3 (05:15):
I'm not really happy with his top line there.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
Color. What do you think?

Speaker 1 (05:17):
I think I think he I think Pete's right.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
He nailed it fair enough one there.

Speaker 1 (05:21):
So then you go drive now and tango bless anyway,
he's dancing and we'll bring that to you when it happens.
The Jonah's brothers, meantime, have surprise fans. They're bringing Australian
Music Royalty out on stage.

Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yeah, they're keeping good company.

Speaker 4 (05:37):
The Veronicas joined them on stage, Lisa and Jess and
they did Forever.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
So take a look at this.

Speaker 7 (05:43):
You think they're going to play Forever by the Veronicas. No, yeah,
so terrific.

Speaker 2 (06:02):
Guess spot there for Lisa and Jess.

Speaker 3 (06:04):
That's very cool. All right, plenty around today. We'll be
back to you again shortly