Lisa Jane Spencer Sparks SBS Logo Row Over Viral Skit
lisa jane spencer posted a skit on Tuesday that mocked Aboriginal Australians and used the SBS Insight logo in the top right corner of the video. SBS later distanced itself from the clip and said the posts and people involved were not associated with its content.
The comedian’s video included the line, “I’m Aunty Lisa. I started identifying as a blackfella a few months ago,” along with clips of her dancing barefoot in a yard, hitting sticks together in white face paint and pretending to sniff a red gasoline canister. Social media users criticized the post shortly after it appeared, and Brooke Blurton and Travis Lovett also called it out publicly.
SBS Insight Logo
SBS said it was aware of the posts and the unauthorized use of SBS logos. In its statement after the video spread, the broadcaster said, “SBS is aware of these posts and the unauthorised use of SBS logos. The posts and individuals are in no way associated with our content and have been reported.”
The same statement added, “SBS unequivocally condemns all forms of racism and recognises the damaging impact it has on individuals, communities and social cohesion. Such views have no place in Australian society.” The logo sitting on the skit gave the clip a false appearance of affiliation, which is why SBS’s response moved quickly from distance to reporting.
Brooke Blurton Response
Brooke Blurton, a Noongar woman, advocate and reality TV star, said she was “sick of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being the brunt of the joke.” She also wrote, “Let’s be clear — it’s not humour. It’s a racist stereotype that First Nations people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, have been facing for generations.”
Blurton went further, telling followers, “I ask you, if you have followed me and you know exactly what video I’m talking about, I ask you to report it.” She also warned people not to engage with the post, saying, “I don’t want you to engage in it, because that’s what she wants. I actually asked you to report her, and to cancel her. Like, I would never say that out loud, but I think this person clearly knows exactly what they’re doing, and I’ve seen other videos that I don’t agree with.”
Travis Lovett Comment
Travis Lovett, a Kerrupmara/Gunditjmara man, described the video as “disgusting.” That word fits the reaction the clip drew: one viral post, a borrowed broadcaster logo and a string of public complaints forced SBS to separate its brand from the skit and put the reporting step on the record.
For Lisa Jane Spencer, the immediate consequence is reputational rather than promotional. For SBS, the issue is protecting a logo and content identity from being dragged into a racist video that spread across social media, and the broadcaster has already made clear where it stands.
