An Australian schoolboy has returned to breakfast television after his extraordinary moment that aired on Australia’s Today Show left the whole world in stitches.
Byron Kirk, 10, made another appearance on the breakfast show on Thursday morning to chat in the studio with co-hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo about his recent viral gag, before telling another off-colour vegan joke.
This time, the youngster also took a swipe at fans of the Collingwood football club.
‘Why are all Collingwood supporters vegans?’ he asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Stefanovic said.
Kirk replied: ‘Because you need teeth to chew meat!’
The joke left the co-hosts stunned once again, as Abo jokingly scolded the 10-year-old while Stefanovic cried: ‘Booyah!’
Earlier on in the chat, Kirk’s mother Melissa revealed the initial viral joke wasn’t planned when he appeared on the show via Zoom link
‘I kind of stirred him up beforehand. It was like, “Loosen up, tell a joke.” And then before he went on live, I was like, “Don’t tell a joke.”‘ she explained.
‘And then as soon as you asked for one and it went, I just said, I tried to make it not happen!’
Kirk, who lives in the mining town of Mount Isa in outback Queensland, also revealed that while he doesn’t have social media, his friends had come across the video ‘every single day’.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday, Kirk spoke more about his rise to viral fame that culminated in an interview with TV host Piers Morgan.
He said his chat with the polarising British presenter went well, as they shared the view that anyone who was offended ‘needs to learn to laugh’.
‘Mum kept telling me he’s a really really big person,’ Byron said.
‘He didn’t ask me any hard questions but we were on the same page.’
Kirk’s joke first aired on the Today show as Byron was talking about his experience of competing in the 2023 Youth Bull Riders World Finals in Texas.
Having discussed the rodeo, Kirk thought he would chime in with a joke.
Australian schoolboy Byron Kirk, 10, returned to breakfast television after his extraordinary moment that aired on Australia’s Today show left the whole world in stitches
The moment was unplanned and producers had no idea what the boy was going to say ahead of time.
The youngster began by asking: ‘A vegan and a vegetarian are jumping off a cliff to see who will hit the bottom first. Who wins?’
‘I don’t know,’ Stefanovic said. ‘Who wins?’ asked Abo.
The boy didn’t miss a beat as he replied: ‘Society!’
An extraordinary moment that aired on Australia’s Today show has the whole world in stitches
Co-hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo were left visibly stunned when a schoolboy told an inappropriate joke about vegans falling to their deaths
After their initial shock subsided, the pair doubled over in laughter, while newsreader Brooke Boney covered her mouth in disbelief.
Stefanovic was so astounded he almost fell off the couch.
‘We weren’t expecting that!’ Abo said, laughing nervously.
The moment was later posted to the Today show’s TikTok account – and soon drew millions of views from across Australia and around the world.
The clip is making big waves in the United States, with TikTok users remarking that such a moment could never happen on strait-laced American TV.
The clip is making waves across the United States, with TikTok users remarking that such a moment could never happened on strait-laced American TV
Introducing the video in a viral TikTok, American commentator Benny Johnson called it ‘the single greatest moment in television history’.
One U.S. viewer commented: ‘That kid’s got more wit and humor than a lot comedians today.’
Another added: ‘The male host’s reaction was so genuine. I have tears in my eyes.’
‘I’m not even this kid’s dad, and he still made me proud!’ a third wrote, while a fourth remarked: ‘That kid just won the internet.’
Many vegans and vegetarians were even forced to admit that, despite being the butt of the joke, the young man’s comic timing was exemplary.
‘As a vegetarian, I laughed my arse off,’ one wrote.
The joke first aired on the Today Show, where Byron appeared to share his incredible experience competing in the 2023 Youth Bull Riders World Finals in the US state of Texas
