Barnaby Joyce explains viral outburst at dog during live interview
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has set the record straight on his viral outburst at his dog during a live television interview.
Joyce’s interview with the ABC’s Sarah Ferguson went off the rails as he shouted at his dog while attempting to answer a question surrounding the direction leader Pauline Hanson was taking the party.
Barnaby Joyce snapped at his dog on-air on Monday, confusing viewers. ABC/7.30
“Well, I think - sit down!” Joyce shouted as he looked towards a dog offscreen.
“Sorry, it’s a dog.”
While Joyce’s dog Stella, a staffy-border collie cross, was a source of frustration on Monday, there was only love between the pair when they appeared on Today on Wednesday morning.
Stella was at Joyce’s feet again, but this time receiving affection from him.
“You’re famous darling!” Joyce said as he patted her, telling her in a much calmer tone to sit down, before she ran off-screen.
Joyce giving his dog Stella affection, showing all is forgiven. Today
Joyce later elaborated on what happened during Monday’s interview.
“You couldn’t hear it but she was right underneath my feet, underneath the deck, and just barking,” Joyce said.
He claimed the barking was so loud that he could not hear or concentrate properly, mimicking the barking to make the point.
Joyce joked his dog had become famous after the viral moment. Today
“And I couldn’t hear Sarah at first - not a great loss - and I couldn’t hear the questions, and I’m sort of winging it,” Joyce said, admitting that it unsettled him as he tried to respond during the interview.
“Sarah Ferguson’s getting a fair run-up and giving me some media chin music, and I’m not on the balls of my toes, I’m not playing the good shots.
“So I’m getting a little bit angry, then I’m getting really angry,” Joyce said, admitting this caused him to lash out at his dog.
Joyce said it was something he regretted and was not proud of.
Joyce claimed his dog barking had made him lose focus during the interview, causing him to get frustrated. Today
“I verbally assaulted the dog, which I’m incredibly sorry for,” Joyce admitted.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor poked fun at Joyce on Wednesday morning, sharing a photo of him conducting an interview with his two dogs at his feet.
“No ruff questions today,” he captioned the image.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor poked fun at Joyce on Wednesday morning, sharing a photo of him conducting an interview with his two dogs. Angus Taylor
PETA, the animal rights organisation, claimed Joyce had bullied his dog Stella.
“Barnaby Joyce has never been a friend to sheep, cows, or crocodiles, and now it’s clear that not even his own dog is spared his hostility,” PETA executive agent Mimi Bekhechi said.
“Dogs bark because it’s how they communicate, and screaming at them for doing so is a form of intimidation.”
But One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson laughed off the moment, saying it was evidence of her right-hand man’s character.
“It’s funny. That’s Barnaby. This is why I love the people around me. We’re just human,” she said at a West Australian event on Tuesday.
Later at a press conference, Hanson admitted it was unusual to tell a dog to be quiet during an interview.
“I don’t know what sort of day he had, or you know what was going on,” she said.
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