MasterChef Australia favourite Reynold Poernomo has issued an apology after a series of homophobic comments he made online in 2014 were unearthed.
According to the Daily Mail, the 26-year-old made the remarks on the bodybuilding.com forums six years ago, just before his debut on the cooking series.
In a thread about the first gay couple to be featured on a Disney series, Poernomo wrote: "I wish the world made a united decision where they will capture all gay people and put them on a remote island full of gays, that way straight ppl will be happy and the freaks can go on and f**k themselves."
In another thread titled "Is homosexuality a mental illness?", Poernomo responded: "Yes end of thread."
The pastry chef, who is currently competing on the all-stars season of MasterChef and has been a fan favourite up until now, released a statement through Ten apologising for the comments.
"I would like to offer my sincere and deepest apologies for the comments that I made in 2014. I am ashamed of these comments and I regret them immensely," he said.
"At the time these comments were made, I was a very immature, close-minded and insular 20-year-old. I have grown and matured a lot in the last six years. I am not the person I was back then.
"I have many friends and colleagues that are part of the LGBTIQ+ community. I wholeheartedly support them and care deeply for them. I am truly sorry and apologise for any offence or hurt I caused."
Earlier this season fellow contestant Ben Ungermann was abruptly dropped from the show after allegations that he had sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl.
Neil Wilkes
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