A morning show host mocked gamer stereotypes during a GTA 6 segment, then rushed to apologize live on air after his guest spoke up

TV host Larry Emdur learned a tough lesson about making assumptions on Australian live television during a recent segment on The Morning Show (morningshowon7). While discussing the 25th anniversary of Xbox and the upcoming release of GTA 6, Emdur and co-host Kylie Gillies interviewed Cameron Smith (wolfcrygaming), a dedicated gamer and Xbox collector. The interview took a turn when Emdur attempted a joke about gamer stereotypes by using the guest’s appearance. 

Emdur began the segment by telling Smith, “People might have sort of misconceptions or preconceptions about gamers. Guys with tattoos and beards tied into little ponytails who sit in dark rooms on their own, surrounded by merch, playing games all day. Would you like to… Why don’t we break that mold?” Smith, who appeared on the segment through a video call from his impressive collection room, handled the moment with grace. 

While he looked annoyed for a second, Smith laughed and replied, “Yeah, well, I work full-time in criminal law. I am a qualified lawyer and solicitor. I’ve been doing that now for four years.” As he spoke, Emdur’s face dropped, and he looked shocked. The clip was then shared on Instagram and Facebook by the production team, who dialed up the comedy with mock credit panels labeling Emdur as “The director,” silly music, and a caption meant to embarrass Emdur: “This is career ending…”

The entire production apologized to Smith, starting with Emdur

In the caption, the team apologized to Smith, calling him “incredible,” noting that they, “still hope to play GTA6 on launch day inside that unbelievable gaming room.” In the segment itself, Emdur offered an apology as the segment ended, telling Smith, “I didn’t realize you had a legal background before I went ahead and defamed you on national television with the whole ponytail beard thing.” 

Gillies, however, still took the opportunity to have fun at Emdur’s expense, telling Smith, “Cam, go him. He’s got deep pockets.” Smith was affable in his response, and even came back with reassurances in the comments. On Instagram, he wrote, “Thank you so much for having me on – people never expect what I do, so its fine.”

The clip has since gained significant traction online, amassing over 6 million views and a pretty common response. Viewers were largely upset with Emdur, and many even believed that his apology wasn’t sincere, with one user alleging, “Definitely producer in his ear forcing him to apologise live.”

The problem viewers had was Emdur’s decision to seemingly mock his guest in the first place and the reason he backpedaled. One commenter noted, “Oh you are of higher status, NOW I’ll respect you.” Another remarked, “So, in his own words, this sort of bullying would be ok for someone with a blue collar job. Revealing.” 

Despite data showing that gaming is a massive, varied pastime, Streams Chart highlights that the stereotype of the isolated, teen gamer remains. The site noted that in reality, millions of people play games, and the average player age is 37, and about 46% are female. As Streams Chart notes, gaming is far too widespread to be reduced to a single stereotype about who plays or what they do for a living.

Some users pointed out that Emdur should have guessed his guest had a strong financial background, considering he came in as a collector and the growing price of games and merch. As one user noted, “The money for all the controllers in the background had to come from somewhere buddy.”