An ABC Radio host and former footy star has shocked listeners after he appeared to make a sexually charged comment about his female co-host live on air.
Former Western Bulldogs star Robert ‘Bob’ Murphy, aged 42, had been presenting his breakfast show alongside award-winning reporter and co-host Sharnelle Vella when the comment was made.
It comes after the duo began hosting the show in January 2025, after Sammy J (Samuel McMillan) announced he would be parting company with ABC.
On Wednesday, Murphy and Vella had been discussing the subject of the importance of seeking financial and tax advice from registered professionals instead of using information from social media influencers online.
They welcomed Eleanor Kasapidis, Chief of Policy, Standards & External Affairs at CPA Australia, on to the show to discuss the matter.
After a lengthy discussion on the topic, Vella then began to make a point about how some people may be unable to afford to seek out professional financial advice and may look to social media for guidance on filing tax returns on their own.
ABC radio star Robert Murphy (right) shocked fans on Wednesday with a comment he made to his co-host Sharnelle Vella (left) on a live broadcast
Sharnelle (left) had mentioned that her first job had been in retail during a discussion on tax and personal finance, but Murphy had responded, stating: ‘Not at Spearmint Rhino?’
She began by drawing on when she landed her first job out of high school.
Vella said: ‘I remember when I worked in retail many moons ago when I was still in high school…’
But Murphy quickly interjected, saying: ‘Not at Spearmint Rhino?’
Vella flatly responded by saying: ‘No’, before pausing and then continuing with her point. ‘I couldn’t afford to go to a financial advisor, so I was doing my tax return myself.
‘I guess that’s why people are looking on social media,’ before asking Kasapidis on whether she had any good advice for people looking to do their tax on their own.
Spearmint Rhino is a well-known strip club chain who have venues located in Australia, the United Kingdom and the US.
There is no claim by Daily Mail Australia that Vella has ever worked in a strip club and it is understood that Murphy’s comments were meant as a joke.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted ABC for comment.
Murphy was a respected player during his footy career, making 312 appearances for the Western Bulldogs
Murphy would later go on to enjoy a career in broadcasting after hanging up his boots. He has worked for Fox Footy, SEN and has written for The Age
Murphy (right) was also employed by Fremantle as their head of football operations back in 2021, before taking up a role with ABC earlier this year
Murphy, a highly respected footy player and a two-time All-Australian, has had a bumpy start to the year in his new role, after the breakfast show’s ratings dipped from 7.9 per cent to 6.3 per cent market share in March.
Earlier this year, 42-year-old former AFL star had also been criticised by rival radio presenter, Tom Elliott, for being ‘woke’ after he used the term ‘AFLM’ to describe the men’s top-flight Australian rules football competition.
‘Does anybody else honestly want to call the AFL the AFLM?,’ Elliott said on 3AW Mornings.
‘In America, you have the NBA and then the WNBA, that works fine.
‘I think he [Murphy] is the only person who does this. He persists in calling the AFL the AFLM….that is wokeness.’
Murphy, who retired in 2017 after making 312 appearances for the Western Bulldogs, was also understood to have slept through the beginning of his Friday, April 11th, breakfast radio show, leaving Vella without her co-host.
His alarm had not gone off and he missed his 5:30am live start, turning up to the studio 45 minutes late.
‘Good morning Melbourne, well it does say Sharnelle Vella and Bob Murphy, but it is just me this morning, on my own,’ Sharnelle told listeners when the show began.
The two-time All-Australian was criticised earlier this year for being ‘woke’ after he referred to the AFL as the AFLM
‘People are texting about where Bob is. He will be here shortly, no one panic.’
When Bob did turn up, he revealed what had happened live on air.
‘Good morning everyone… it has been quite the morning,’ he said.
Murphy then explained that his wife, Justine, had to get him out of bed.
‘Somehow, overnight the phone charger must have dislodged a bit. My darling jumped out and said, “It is 5:30am.”‘
The former Western Bulldogs star then apologised to listeners: ”I feel like I have let you down. I suppose it had to happen.’
Sharnelle, though, poked fun at her co-host, joking: ‘I’m off to the shops to buy him a charger.’
Later in May, ABC Radio’s ratings took another hit, with the latest GfK radio survey stating Vella and Murphy’s breakfast slot had slid down by a further 0.7 percentage points, falling from 6.3 to 5.6 per cent of the total audience share.
After hanging up his boots, Murphy has worked in a variety of media capacities, notably writing a column in The Age, appearing as a panellist on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 and had joined Andy Maher to host the afternoon drive show on 1116 SEN.
More to follow…
