‘A white male calling out racism is important’: Melissa Leong praises fellow MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo for his ‘allyship’ after a troll made a racist remark about her Asian heritage
Jock Zonfrillo came to the defence of fellow MasterChef judge Melissa Leong earlier this year, when a troll made a vile racial slur about her Asian heritage.
The Scottish chef shared a comment made by the troll, directed to him on Instagram, stating that Melissa is not a ‘g**k’, but rather his ‘work wife’ and ‘mate’.
Appearing on this week’s edition of The Sunday Project, Melissa, 38, praised Jock, 44, for his ‘allyship’, saying it’s important for a ‘white male to call out racism’.
‘A white male calling out racism is important’: Melissa Leong, 38, praised fellow MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo for his ‘allyship’ on this week’s episode of The Sunday Project (pictured), after a troll made a racist remark about her Asian heritage on Instagram earlier this year
When asked by co-host Lisa Wilkinson whether she was glad Jock called out racism on her behalf, she replied: ‘To be a white male calling out racism is important.
‘Jock has become such a dear friend of mine and he is one of my work husbands, and he is just such a great human being in terms of the way that he sees the experiences of others. That right there is a perfect example of allyship.’
Melissa went on to reveal that experiences of racism in her childhood still affect her.
Allyship: When asked by co-host Lisa Wilkinson whether she was glad Jock (right) called out racism, she said: ‘He is just such a great human being in terms of the way that he sees the experiences of others.’ Pictured on the left is fellow judge Andy Allen
Honest: Melissa went on to reveal that experiences of racism in her childhood still affect her: ‘It’s tough. I think that as a human being, I pride myself on being resilient and being competent and smashing through all of the challenges that I have’
‘It’s tough. I think that as a human being, I pride myself on being resilient and being competent and smashing through all of the challenges that I have,’ she began.
‘But I think it’s important to be vulnerable and to really pay attention to your emotions.
‘If experiences in my childhood have helped me become strong, then I can articulate those experiences, and perhaps tell people out there that have gone through the same thing that they are not alone.’
Calling out racism: Earlier this year, Jock, 44, shared a rambling message (pictured), directed to him on Instagram that described Melissa as a ‘painful g**k’
Jock replied in his caption: ‘When you used the term ‘g**k’. She’s actually Melissa, she’s my work wife, my sister, my mate… She’s a woman whose origin happens to be different than yours, but why does that make you so afraid?’
Response: Melissa reposted the comment on her Instagram Stories, marking up the man’s grammar mistakes and writing: ‘I couldn’t help myself, I had to mark this one up. Grammar is the difference between knowing your s**t, and knowing you’re s**t’
The rambling message sent to Jock on Instagram earlier this year, read: ‘Having to watch trailers of you and that painful g**k criticise what is put in front of you because a pea is in the wrong place half the stuff no one would ever make geez you are so far up yourselves.’
Jock replied in his caption: ‘When you used the term ‘g**k’. She’s actually Melissa, she’s my work wife, my sister, my mate… She’s a woman whose origin happens to be different than yours, but why does that make you so afraid?’
Melissa reposted the comment on her Instagram Stories, marking up the man’s grammar mistakes and writing: ‘I couldn’t help myself, I had to mark this one up. Grammar is the difference between knowing your s**t, and knowing you’re s**t.’
Hit with viewers: Melissa became an instant hit with the majority of viewers during this year’s season of MasterChef: Back To Win, and was particularly praised for her penchant for fashion