Tony Jones has stormed off the set of The Sunday Footy Show, after rookie AFL player Zeke Uwland made a joke about his infamous attempt to kiss Bec Judd live on air in 2016.
The Gold Coast Suns player was invited on the program following his team’s great start to the season.
He appeared alongside Western Bulldogs’ Lachie Jacques, taking part in the show’s Lou’s Handball segment, where players and panellists aim to hit a target with a handball.
The segment was off to a rough start for Jones, who failed to bounce the ball properly, which led to the panel poking fun at him, while Uwland quipped: “Hopefully we can handball better than Tony bounces.”
Jones quipped back: “I tell you what, just when you think the Gold Coast Suns couldn’t get any more cocky at the moment,” referencing their 3-0 start to the AFL season.
Matthew Lloyd, who is one of the panellists, then asked if Uwland had seen Jones’ previous attempt at playing handball on-air in 2018, where he also failed the challenge.
“Oh I don’t know, I’ve just seen Bec Judd that’s all,” the 18-year-old rising footy star responded, which caused the panel to burst into laughter.
Jones replied: “I’ll tell you what, I don’t mind copping sh*t from you lot but when I start getting it from that, I’m out of here,” as he stormed off set.
Uwland’s joke referred to the infamous moment when Jones attempted to give Judd a peck on the cheek before she went on maternity leave during a Nine News Melbourne bulletin in 2016.
Judd, who was reading the weather at the time, was saying her final goodbyes to her TV gig when Jones attempted to kiss her cheek, only for her swiftly to turn away.
Jones had previously addressed the infamous incident in 2020, revealing that he was supposed to present Judd with flowers, but somebody had forgotten to buy them.
In a moment of panic he decided to kiss her on the cheek, but the gesture wasn’t received well.
Judd had also addressed the incident at the 2024 Brownlow medal and laughed off the awkward moment where they crossed paths at the event without much being said between them.
When asked by Lloyd at the time whether Jones had tried to greet her with a kiss, she replied: “He didn’t. I was a bit disappointed. I thought he was going to go in for a crack and I’d make a joke about it. And, do you know what, I think he’s scared to be honest. He looked and he kind of went ugh.”
Jones at the time responded that he was “scared” of interacting with Judd, saying: “I thought I’ve got four options here. Plant one again? Hug her? Shake hands? Or just let it go.”
He chose to “let it go”.
The sports commentator had famously walked off the set of the show another time in 2020, after the infamous clip was played.
“If I see that played one more time at Channel 9, I will walk off the set,” he said on 3AW.
“I do not want to see that kiss again.”
Image: Nine
