A spokesperson later apologized for CEO Patrick Delany's remark: “The Foxtel Group apologi[z]es if his remarks were misunderstood and caused any offense.”
House of the Dragon premieres on HBO on Sunday, August 21. The Foxtel CEO was reportedly attempting to make a joke about how he was late to jump on the bandwagon for Game of Thrones, which became one of [the most popular television shows](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/07/game-of-thrones-most-popular-show-ratings) of all time. [Per Australian news outlet Crikey](https://www.crikey.com.au/), Delany was delivering a speech ahead of the screening of the first episode of the highly anticipated House of the Dragon.
Australian television CEO Patrick Delany referred to Emilia Clarke as a "short, dumpy girl" at the "House of the Dragon" premiere.
Foxtel announced in 2019 that the controversial “Game of Thrones” series finale led to the biggest influx of overnight subscribers in the company’s history. Delany was referencing Emilia Clarke’s character, Daenerys Targaryen, who famously walks through fire during the series. [Game of Thrones](https://variety.com/t/game-of-thrones/)” prequel series “ [House of the Dragon](https://variety.com/t/house-of-the-dragon/)” touched down in Sydney this week for its official Australian premiere, but the event quickly turned controversial after Patrick Delany, the CEO of Australian television company [Foxtel](https://variety.com/t/foxtel/), referred to [Emilia Clarke](https://variety.com/t/emilia-clarke/) as a “short, dumpy girl.” Foxtel, an Australian pay television company, is the country’s home for “Game of Thrones.”
Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany called Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke a 'short, dumpy girl' at House of the Dragon's Sydney premiere.
House of the Dragon is the highly anticipated follow-up to the smash-hit series, with hopes it can also serve as a major tentpole exclusive for services such as Binge and Foxtel. According to the Game of Thrones was purportedly the world’s most-watched television series. “It felt like he was expecting us to laugh along but people in the room were obviously shocked by it,” one said. The long-time Foxtel executive retold how he was late to start watching Game of Thrones. You can join us through our 50% off sale using promo code LETTERS.
Patrick Delany's comment at Sydney premiere of Game of Thrones prequel was intended to be 'self-deprecating and lighthearted', spokesperson says.
Game of Thrones has gone down in history as the most-watched television drama of all time. One person at the premiere told Crikey: “It felt like he was expecting us to laugh along, but people in the room were obviously shocked by it.” “I was like, ‘What’s this show with the dumpy-looking girl who walks into the flames?’” he said jovially, referring to Clarke’s lead character Daenerys.
Audiences at a House Of The Dragon premiere in Sydney were shocked after the Foxtel CEO insulted Game Of Thrones star Emilia Clarke.
[If you thought Game of Thrones was violent… House of the Dragon has a horrifying scene where children ‘beat each other senseless’](https://metro.co.uk/2022/08/16/house-of-the-dragon-showrunner-reveals-shocking-children-fight-scene-17190211/?ico=more_text_links) [House Of The Dragon](https://metro.co.uk/2022/04/01/house-of-the-dragon-cast-release-date-and-trailer-for-game-of-thrones-series-16388007/) will be the first in [ a number of planned spin-off series to arrive from HBO](https://metro.co.uk/2021/03/21/game-of-thrones-every-spin-off-so-far-including-house-of-the-dragon-14279893/) – including one focused on [Jon Snow](https://metro.co.uk/2022/06/17/let-game-of-thrones-die-we-dont-want-a-jon-snow-spin-off-16846599/) – offering a deeper dive into the history and mythology of Martin’s creation. [House of the Dragon star Paddy Considine accidentally left top secret scripts in a hotel bin: ‘I didn’t alert anybody’](https://metro.co.uk/2022/08/17/house-of-the-dragon-paddy-considine-left-scripts-in-hotel-bin-17196410/?ico=more_text_links) [Game Of Thrones](https://metro.co.uk/tag/game-of-thrones/?ico=auto_link_entertainment_P1_LNK1) prequel series [ House Of The Dragon](https://metro.co.uk/tag/house-of-the-dragon/) by referring to Daenerys Targaryen actress [Emilia Clarke](https://metro.co.uk/tag/emilia-clarke/) as a ‘short, dumpy girl’. [Targaryen family history](https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/06/game-thrones-house-dragon-targaryen-bloodline-full-12969079/), starting right at the formation of Westeros.
The CEO of Australian television company Foxtel has been forced to apologise after he referred to Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke as a 'short and dumpy ...
Delany admitted he was behind the eight-ball when it came to watching the monumentally popular drama Game of Thrones, in which Emilia stars as Daenerys Targaryen (pictured in character) Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany has referred to Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke (pictured) as a 'short and dumpy girl' [Game of Thrones](/tvshowbiz/game_of_thrones/index.html) star [Emilia Clarke](/tvshowbiz/emilia-clarke/index.html) as a 'short and dumpy girl'.
Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany really thought it would be a good idea to get in front of a crowd and call Emilia Clarke a "short, dumpy girl."
[Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels](http://www.amazon.com/b/?rh=i:instant-video,n:2858778011&ie=UTF8&filterId=OFFER_FILTER=SUBSCRIPTIONS&node=2858778011&ref_=assoc_tag_ph_1465430649312&_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=pf4&tag=fs-livedrops1-20&linkId=90b2815fb79ba0e403137c68e139db16”) “On behalf of Mr Delany, the Foxtel Group apologies if his remarks were misunderstood and caused any offence.” House of the Dragon will be airing on Foxtel services in Australia, so this isn’t a great look. That’s what happened to Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany when he addressed the crowd at the Australian premiere of House of the Dragon at the Entertainment Quarter in Sydney. [Emilia Clarke](https://winteriscoming.net/game-of-thrones/game-of-thrones-actors/emilia-clarke/), who plays Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones. Okay, a new scenario: what if you talk to that same audience, insult one of the most famous actors from the original show, and then act surprised when no one laughs?
The CEO of Australian television company Foxtel, Patrick Delany, has come under fire for referring to Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke as a "short, ...
On behalf of Mr Delany, the Foxtel Group apologies if his remarks were misunderstood and caused any offense.” The CEO of Australian television company Foxtel has come under fire for referring to Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke as a "short, dumpy girl." According to
The Foxtel Group has issued a statement after its Australian boss sparked a storm with his description of Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke as “short, dumpy girl”. Foxtel Australia boss Patrick Delany's tone deaf comments came in a speech at the ...
“I can’t say that at any point in time, did I consider Emilia Clarke could be described as short and dumpy. Two attendees said the crowd was “obviously shocked”. “Not that I need another reason to not get Foxtel, but the Foxtel CEO calling Emilia Clarke a ‘short, dumpy girl’ is both extremely s–tty and hilariously false,” said another. “The aim was to convey that for him, Games of Thrones was something very different for television in 2011 and that Emilia Clarke went from relatively unknown to one of the most recognised and most-loved actors in television and film,” they said. A Foxtel Group spokesperson has since apologised for the remarks, telling Crikey that Mr Delany’s comment was intended to be “self-deprecating”. The Foxtel Group has issued a statement after its Australian boss sparked a storm with his description of Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke as “short, dumpy girl”.
'It felt like he was expecting us to laugh along, but people in the room were shocked.'
“The aim was to convey that for him, Game of Thrones was something very different for television in 2011 and that Emilia Clarke went from relatively unknown to one of the most recognised and most-loved actors in film and television,” a spokesperson said. “There was a bit of a gasp,” another added. [Emilia Clarke](https://7news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/game-of-thrones-stars-major-medical-crisis-theres-quite-a-bit-missing--c-7570317) as a “short, dumpy girl” at the premiere of the show’s prequel, [House of the Dragon.](https://7news.com.au/entertainment/tv/game-of-thrones-prequel-house-of-the-dragon-drops-its-first-trailer-and-fans-go-wild-c-7599130) “It felt like he was expecting us to laugh along, but people in the room were obviously shocked by it,” one person said. “I was like, ‘What’s this show with the short, dumpy girl walking into the fire?’,” he said, referring to a scene where Clarke’s character Daenerys Targaryen walks into a burning temple. Delany was talking about his initial encounter with the hugely popular show, admitting he was a bit late to the phenomenon.
Sydney: As the 'Game of Thrones' prequel series 'House of the Dragon' released in Sydney, Patrick Delany, the CEO of Australian television company Foxtel, ...
The company issued a statement that reads: “The aim was to convey that for him, ‘Games of Thrones’ was something very different for television in 2011 and that Emilia Clarke went from relatively unknown to one of the most recognised and most-loved actors in television and film. An attendee at the Sydney premiere told Crikey that “there was a bit of a gasp” after Delany made the comment. Sydney: As the ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel series ‘House of the Dragon’ released in Sydney, Patrick Delany, the CEO of Australian television company Foxtel, referred to actress Emilia Clarke as a “short, dumpy girl.”
Emilia Clarke famously portrayed Daenerys Targaryen in HBO's fantasy series "Game of Thrones."
Are you representing the books, or are you diluting the books to represent the time [we’re living in]?’” “And they’re like, ‘Yeah, we do.’ I guess you have to ask yourself: ‘What are you doing? Film critic Travis Johnson, who also attended the premiere, [tweeted](https://twitter.com/celluloidwhisky/status/1559883318908268544?s=21&t=52326rWZ1OiFuEQ8FpVTOQ) that he “turned to my mate for clarification as I simply didn’t believe someone would say that on mic.” “House of the Dragon” is set to air on Aug. The statement continued, “The aim was to convey that for him, ‘Games of Thrones’ was something very different for television in 2011 and that Emilia Clarke went from relatively unknown to one of the most recognized and most-loved actors in television and film.” Delany appeared at the Sydney shindig to give a speech to the audience before previewing the first episode of the HBO’s hotly anticipated “Game of Thrones” prequel series.
That CEO is Patrick Delany, who stated, “I was like, 'What's this show with the short, dumpy girl walking into the fire?'” Delany was attempting to make a joke ...
Now, we just need her to appear in the MCU, which is coincidentally going to happen in Marvel’s [Secret Invasion](https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/emilia-clarke-marvel-finally-revealed.html). [beloved ](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/australian-ceo-called-emilia-clarke-a-short-dumpy-girl-at-the-house-of-the-dragon-premiere)all over the world. Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) is the daughter of Aerys II, who is one of the central figures spoken about in the original series. Clarke happens to be one of the most beloved actresses based on her time on Game of Thrones. Everyone has been quite excited about seeing this extension of Game of Thrones, especially since it is revolved around one of the most controversial families in the lore of the books. House of the Dragon is the prequel spinoff series that follows House Targaryen, which is the house that Clarke’s character (Daenerys Targaryen) had come from.
Daenerys Targaryen actor Emilia Clarke is the furthest thing from a 'short, dumpy girl' I can imagine, but that didn't stop Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany from ...
The definition I’m familiar with means ‘short and stumpy’ and is almost always used unfavorably. “It felt like he was expecting us to laugh along but people in the room were obviously shocked by it,” one attendee told Crikey. The new Game Of Thrones prequel series is all about House Targaryen and the civil war and chaos that ensues when no clear line of succession emerges after Viserys I Targaryen’s reign. “There was a bit of a gasp,” another attendee said. Rival factions clash in court and on the battlefield. An Australian CEO of the Foxtel Group has made some comments about Emilia Clarke, who played Daenerys Targaryen in Game Of Thrones, that can only be described as wildly controversial.
Patrick Delaney, the CEO of Australian pay television company Foxtel has apologised after calling Game Of Thrones Star, Emilia Clarke a, "short and dumpy ...
The GOT women endured 10 years of sexist remarks, all while you reaped the benefits ($) of their contributions. [@HouseofDragon]premiere and [@HBO]still doesn’t made a comentar about this disgusting fact. [@Foxtel] [@Binge] [@PatrickDelany]your company board having 4 women out of 15 is showing. [August 18, 2022] The smash hit series that is also synonymous with Foxtel. The way this garbage man Patrick Delany disrespected Emilia…
Emilia Clarke was called a "short, dumpy girl" by Foxtel CEO, Patrick Delany, ahead of 'Game of Thrones' prequel premiere.
Delany, the Foxtel Group apologies if his remarks were misunderstood and caused any offense.” Reportedly, this is how the Foxtel CEO referred to the London-hailing actress: “I was like, what’s this show with the short, dumpy girl walking into the fire?” However, it didn’t land well, and “there was a bit of a gasp” from audience members following his statement.
That's no way to address a Khaleesi: The CEO of an Australian television company has apologized after insulting 'Game of Thrones' star Emilia Clarke at a ...
[Subscribe](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ews-west-of-westeros/id1099326209) to EW's West of Westeros podcast, which goes behind the making of House of the Dragon and the growing Game of Thrones universe. "I think that's one of the interesting things about the Targaryens," said Sapochnik, who co-wrote House of the Dragon. [House of the Dragon](https://ew.com/creative-work/house-of-the-dragon/) on Tuesday, Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany reportedly told the crowd in attendance that he wasn't an early adopter of the fantasy epic based on [George R.R. House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, which means Clarke, 35, does not appear in the new show. The 10-episode series, based on Martin's 2018 book Fire & Blood, tells the story of the Targaryen empire at the height of its powers, before civil war threw control of the Iron Throne into chaos. The Unburnt.