ABC Host Says Network’s Hiring of Grace Tame ‘Problematic’

ABC television host Charlie Pickering has criticised his own network’s decision to hire Grace Tame, who called for an “intifada” at a pro-Palestine march in Sydney, just two months after the Bondi massacre claimed 15 lives.

The former Australian of the Year recipient will host a podcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) called “Autistic AF with Grace Tame,” which centres on the experiences of autistic women.

Tame, who has been a vocal advocate against sexual assault, says she has lost several speaking engagements amid the fall-out of her attending the march. In April, the Grace Tame Foundation also announced its closure after operating for just five years.

Speaking to Australian online influencer Avi Yemini, Pickering called the ABC’s decision to hire Tame “problematic.”

“That’s my personal opinion,” he said in an interview posted to X.

“And I think … as a Jewish Australian, there’s a lot of misunderstanding of the words that were said and what the true meaning of them are and a lot of people are using words and phrases that have meaning well beyond what they think they do.

“I think you could argue a lot of people that jump on protest bandwagons are ignorant a lot of the time, and that particular protest, I think it’s lots of them.”

The term “intifada” is justified by those in the pro-Palestine movement as a call to action against Israel, however Jewish groups say the term is a call for violence against Jews.

In March, the ABC reported Tame had raised the ire of the Israeli Embassy in Canberra after she made comments on ABC Radio Sydney denying that women had been sexually assaulted during the Oct. 7 attack by terror group Hamas.

While the national broadcaster’s report said the U.N. had found sexual violence occurred, Tame referred to the claims as “propaganda” and said “those things have been debunked.” later adding she was “outraged by all of the violence.”

The hiring of Tame has also been criticised by prominent Jewish groups including the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ).

ECAJ Co-Executive Chief Officer Alex Ryvchin said the dial had shifted from “zero consequences to incentives.”

“Call Hamas rapes ‘propaganda’ and scream for a global intifada after Bondi and pick up your own publicly-funded podcast,” he said.

Australian Jewish Association CEO Robert Gregory said why was Tame in consideration to host a podcast.

“The question Australians should be asking is simple—with so many talented and respected people available, why did the ABC choose Grace Tame?” he said in a statement provided to The Epoch Times.

“More broadly, it again raises the question of why Australian taxpayers are compelled to fund a national broadcaster whose decisions and content many Australians find deeply objectionable.”

In an ABC promotion for the podcast, Tame explains she is autistic and struggled to be diagnosed as a young person.

“For decades, autism was thought of as a boy thing, and girls like me were ignored and misdiagnosed,” she said.

The ABC referred to the podcast as rethinking what autism looks like in a “woman and gender-diverse people.”

“Autism comes wrapped in a lot of stigma and misunderstandings,” the ABC said.

“Grace knows this firsthand. She struggled socially as a kid before finally getting a diagnosis in her late teens.”

A spokesperson for the ABC told The Epoch Times that the broadcaster “rejects the views made by Grace Tame about 7 October.”

Nonetheless, the ABC says Tame’s experience is relevant to the podcast.

“Grace Tame is a high-profile public figure and former Australian of the Year who has spoken openly about her experience as an autistic woman and has advocated on neurodivergent issues,” they said.

“The ABC has been working with Ms. Tame on this series since late 2025.

“The purpose of this series is to explore the diversity of lived experience among women and gender diverse people with autism in Australia and includes a range of contributors.”

The Epoch Times contacted Tame for additional comment.