‘Where is he?’ Reynold Poernomo disappears from MasterChef’s Instagram page as fans ask why he wasn’t shown on Thursday’s episode
MasterChef Australia hasn’t shared any social media content about Reynold Poernomo since his past homophobic comments were exposed last week.
The 26-year-old has been noticeably absent from the MasterChef Instagram page since last Friday – despite the show posting nearly 70 posts in the past seven days.
It’s likely this is because Daily Mail Australia revealed last Friday that Reynold had made homophobic posts on an online bodybuilding forum in 2014 in which he described gay people ‘freaks’ and homosexuality a ‘mental illness’.
‘Where is he?’ MasterChef Australia hasn’t shared any social media content about Reynold Poernomo (pictured) since his past homophobic comments were exposed last week
Meanwhile, MasterChef fans were left baffled when the controversial chef all but disappeared from Thursday night’s episode.
The ‘dessert king’ was only rarely shown in the gantry during cutaway shots.
‘Where’s Reynold?’ one concerned viewer asked in a Facebook group dedicated to the Channel 10 cooking competition.
While several other fans pointed out that Reynold had been in the gantry, it was clear his on-screen appearances were less frequent that before.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 for comment.
Where is he? Meanwhile, MasterChef fans were left baffled when Reynold all but disappeared from Thursday’s episode. One worried viewer asked in a Facebook group, ‘Where’s Reynold?’
The 26-year-old has been noticeably absent from the MasterChef Instagram page since last Friday – despite the show posting nearly 70 posts in the past seven days
Neither Reynold nor MasterChef has commented on the old homophobic posts on Instagram, but the contestant did issue a statement to Daily Mail Australia last week.
‘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 via a network spokesperson on May 29.
‘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.
In lockdown? Reynold’s last Instagram post on Friday was about a cook-off on MasterChef featuring his co-stars Poh Ling Yeow, Brendan Pang, Jess Liemantara and Khanh Ong
‘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.’
Daily Mail Australia uncovered Reynold’s 2014 posts from bodybuilding.com forums last Friday.
Under a thread titled ‘First gay couple featured on the Disney Channel. Do you agree with them?’, Reynold – using the profile name ‘Reyreyy’ – offered a shocking response.
Making headlines: In his posts from 2014 (pictured), Reynold suggested that gay people should be ‘captured and put on an island’
‘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 [people] will be happy and the freaks can go on and f**k themselves,’ he wrote at the time.
That comment was followed by another on a thread titled: ‘Is homosexuality a mental illness?’
‘Yes. End of thread,’ Reynold responded.
Apology: In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Reynold said he was now ‘deeply ashamed’ of the comments