Singer Samantha Mumba has said the Late Late show Eurosong judging panel “were dismissive of all the contestants” who performed on Friday night.
Mumba posted the statement on Instagram on Monday after celebrity chef panellist Donal Skehan had responded to her earlier criticisms of three of the judges being “rude and vile” and not having “the credentials, experience or professionalism required”.
She placed second with her song My Way as Norwegian singer Emmy won the competition with Laika Party, which will represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland this May.
The judging panel included last year’s winner Bambie Thug, Dancing with the Stars judge Arthur Gourounlian, 2FM broadcaster Laura Fox and Skehan, a former Eurosong contestant in 2008.
Mumba said on Sunday on her Instagram account that she was disappointed with the majority of the Eurosong panel, claiming they “were unnecessarily rude and vile to all the finalists”.
“Special mention to the ‘panel’ (aside from Bambie, who I stan) who not only didn’t have the credentials, experience, or professionalism required and were unnecessarily rude and vile to all the finalists ...,” she said. “(Would have said this in person but they all left the green room before I had the opportunity to) unsurprisingly.”
Responding to Mumba’s criticisms, an RTÉ spokesperson said: “We are extremely grateful to the Late Late Show Eurosong panel for their professionalism, insight, integrity and good humour. Their role is to give their honest reaction to the performances on the night, offering their thoughts on the likely success of the song and act at the Eurovision Song Contest.
“Our panel did this in a thoughtful and considered way. It seems this was in line with the public vote that ultimately made the decision on the artist and song they wished to represent Ireland at this year’s contest.
“It’s never easy to offer an opinion, as not everyone will agree. Our panel did that with the utmost care and we wish to extend our thanks to them for the excellent job they did on Friday night.”
Skehan responded to Mumba’s remarks in a statement on Instagram on Monday.
“I understand that Samantha’s response is personal and comes from a place of deep emotion, something that is entirely understandable in such a high-stakes competition,” he said.
“Tearing others down is never a good look, especially when everyone involved has worked to make the process as fair and constructive as possible.
“To insult the credentials of myself and my fellow panellists, Laura Fox and Arthur Gourounlian, is completely unprofessional. Each of us was chosen for our experience, insights and passion for Eurovision,” he said.
Defending his own credentials, Skehan said: “It might be easy to write me off as ‘just a TV chef’ but my career began in music. I’ve had two number-one singles in Ireland with my band, Industry, supported acts like JLS and The Pussycat Dolls, and competed in Eurosong in 2008.
“My comments were never personal. They were about what would give Ireland the best chance of success on the Eurovision stage.”
After Skehan’s statement, Mumba said, “This was never about me not winning.
“That’s the nature of the business and this show’s format – I know that better than most.
“I feel strongly that the panel were dismissive of all the contestants, which was disappointing, given the amount of work and passion we all put into our performances. My stance on this won’t change.”
Mumba and the panellists have been contacted for comment.
