As everyone celebrated Mothers’ Day last week, one little girl in Cambodia yearned for what everyone had – a mother.
Autumn Allen is a 13-year old pop star in Cambodia. She had moved to the country from the United States in 2008 and has been living in Phnom Penh with her father eversince.
She’d last seen her mother when she was six.
“My mother last held and kissed me and told me that she would always love me,” Autumn said in the variety show, “”Like it or not”.
She had just performed on the show when the two hosts told her that her mother, whom she had not seen for so long, would appear on the show to meet her.
Naturally, Autumn was delighted, and had tears in her eyes.
There was then a long build-up to the climax of her mother appearing on stage.
When the time came for her mother to appear on stage, however, her hopes were dashed.
Instead of her mother, out came a local comedian, dressed as a drag-queen, to pretend to be Autumn’s mother.
One can only imagine the little girl’s devastation.
And to add insult to insult, one of the hosts said to her: “What are you thinking, did you think it was real?”
It was a horrible horrible prank, which is utterly unforgivable.
And soon after the show, many people took to social media to – rightly – slam the show, the producers and the two hosts.
“The producer was stupid and brainless and heartless by playing around with the mind and heart of a 13 year old girl in this way,” one person wrote on Facebook.
Another said: “I cannot believe someone would tell such an outrageous lie to a little girl. I’m not sure who in the right mind would find that funny.”
But Autumn herself was gracious enough to continue to banter with the two hosts after the prank, and she later took to her Facebook page to let everyone know that the hosts and producer had apologised to her for the distasteful joke.
She wrote on her Facebook page:
“The two hosts, Rolin and Taboi (the producer) have apologized to me personally. Even the Deputy General Manager of the MyTV was there.
“A mistake happen and I have forgiven them. Thank you for every one supports. Please find it in your heart to forgive them too. Love, Autumn.”
If it were up to me, the two hosts (one of whom was also the producer) ought to be fired immediately.
What utter idiots.
Here is the clip of the incident:
The above article was first published on Public Opinion.
