Feeling the heat: MasterChef star Reynold Poernomo goes into hiding after his shocking homophobic posts were exposed
MasterChef star Reynold Poernomo has gone silent on social media after his shocking homophobic forum posts were exposed last week.
The 26-year-old ‘dessert king’ has not posted or left a comment on Instagram in six days, and his last activity was on Friday.
That same day, Daily Mail Australia revealed Reynold had made offensive posts on an online bodybuilding forum calling gay people ‘freaks’ and ‘mentally ill’.
Feeling the heat? MasterChef star Reynold Poernomo has gone silent on social media after his shocking homophobic posts were exposed. The 26-year-old has not posted on Instagram in six days, after last sharing a post on Friday, May 29
Reynold’s last Instagram post on Friday was about a cook-off on MasterChef featuring his co-stars Poh Ling Yeow, Brendan Pang, Jess Liemantara and Khanh Ong.
In his resurfaced forum posts, Reynold suggested that gay people should be ‘captured and put on an island’.
The chef made the homophobic claims on bodybuilding.com in 2014, just months before bursting onto screens in season seven of MasterChef Australia.
Going into lockdown: Reynold’s last Instagram post on May 29 (pictured) was about a cook-off on the show with his co-stars, Poh Ling Yeow, Brendan Pang, Jess Liemantara and Khanh Ong
Shocking: That same day, Daily Mail Australia revealed Reynold’s homophobic posts on an online forum that called gays ‘freaks’ and ‘mentally ill’
Making headlines: In his shocking homophobic posts, Reynold suggested that gay people should be ‘captured and put on an island’
He is appearing in the current Back to Win season and is among the hot favourites to take out the title.
Under a thread titled ‘First gay couple featured on the Disney Channel. Do you agree with them?’, Reynold – using the profile name ‘Reyreyy’ – offered a shocking response.
‘I wish the world made a united decision where they will capture all gay people and put them on a remote island full of gays, that way straight ppl (people) will be happy and the freaks can go on and f** themselves,’ the then 20-year-old wrote.
That comment was followed by another on a thread titled: ‘Is homosexuality a mental illness?’
‘Yes end of thread,’ Reynold responded.
In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Reynold said he was now ‘deeply ashamed’ of the comments.
Apologetic: In a statement to Daily Mail Australia through Channel Ten, Reynold said he was now ‘deeply ashamed’ of the comments and is ‘not the person I was back then’
‘I would like to offer my sincere and deepest apologies for the comments that I made in 2014. I am ashamed of these comments and I regret them immensely,’ he said.
‘At the time these comments were made, I was a very immature, close-minded and insular 20-year-old. I have grown and matured a lot in the last six years. I am not the person I was back then.
‘I have many friends and colleagues that are part of the LGBTIQ+ community. I wholeheartedly support them and care deeply for them. I am truly sorry and apologise for any offence or hurt I caused.’
Brendan Pang, Khanh Ong, Reece Hignall and Courtney Roulston – who are currently contestants on the show – have all previously been open about their sexuality.
Khanh has also been wearing T-shirts in every episode promoting the ‘you are loved’ message promoted by LGBTQI youth charity Minus18.
Reynold’s posts came just a day after he produced what judges called the ‘greatest dish ever’ and secured himself immunity from elimination.
Ashamed: ‘At the time these comments were made, I was a very immature, close-minded and insular 20-year-old. I have grown and matured a lot in the last six years. I am not the person I was back then,’ he said in a statement