Host Woody Whitelaw led the stunt. Photo / Supplied
Host Woody Whitelaw led the stunt. Photo / Supplied
Radio duo Will and Woody have come under fire over a "cruel" prank in which one of them impersonated a NSW health officer to tell a woman she had been wrongly injected with saline solution rather than the Covid vaccine.
The off-colour stunt aired during Monday's episode of their drivetime KIIS show, after a social media call-out for Victorian listeners to dob in friends in NSW they wanted to prank for "Freedom day", the first stage of the NSW reopening after months of lockdowns.
"On behalf of a Victorian we are going to stitch up someone in NSW who is enjoying their freedoms," the duo explained.
One such Victorian was Annaleigh, who told them she was feeling "a bit salty" that her NSW-based best friend Mia had group dinner plans that night.
She explained Mia had recently moved her second dose of the Covid vaccine forward specifically so she could go out to dinner with friends on the first night of lockdown.
Encouraging their listeners to "enjoy [us] absolutely rinsing someone", the hosts then played the pre-recorded prank call, which started with Woody calling an unsuspecting Mia.
KISS hosts Will McMahon (left) and Woody Whitelaw. Photo / Supplied
He introduced himself to her as "Trent Summers from the NSW Health department" and warned that he was "unfortunately not calling with great news".
He told Mia that it had been discovered a number of people vaccinated during her booking window were actually injected with saline solution.
"There's nothing wrong with having saline solution injected into you, but it just means that you potentially haven't had the second vaccination," he told her. "We do need to 100 per cent confirm you've had it – the only way to do that is through a blood test."
Asking if Mia had plans that night, Woody – posing as the NSW Health worker – then offered her some unusual options to salvage her dinner, asking if she'd be comfortable "wearing a hazard suit, face shield and gloves".
"Oh, really? Umm, I'd probably just rather not go out," she said, sighing heavily.
"You'd probably also have to bring your own drinks and food. And you'd probably have to sit by yourself," he said.
"Yep," she said, her voice breaking – at which point Woody quickly revealed it was all a "stitch up" and let Mia know her friend was on the call.
"What the hell? I'm literally tearing up in the gym. My god," she said. "I was thinking, 'I'll have to cancel everything!' I hate needles! That was so mean."
Host Woody Whitelaw led the stunt. Photo / Supplied
The prank caught the attention of those on social media on Monday afternoon when listener Shane Bazzi tweeted: "Will and Woody calling young woman – as a prank – impersonating NSW Health, telling woman that her second dose may have been saline, not vaxx, has to get a blood test, wear full PPE and stay away from other people when out in public. Pretty f***ed up. She was distressed, crying.
"Wasn't funny at all and is potentially an offence, right? Cruel stuff."
Some others on social media questioned the legality of impersonating a NSW Health worker on a phone call, while one person pointed out that impersonating Commonwealth public officials is a criminal offence.
"Aside from everything else, I assume there's a fairly serious offence of impersonating a government officer," tweeted one person.
"This isn't remotely funny … do better," said another.
"There's a time and a place for jokes and this ain't it, Chief. This is neither funny nor appropriate and I pity those who think it is. Find better content," tweeted another person.
News.com.au has today contacted KISS FM for comment.
