Jack Tame: Guy Williams vs Leo Molloy - don't overthink it!

On Thursday night, New Zealand Today went to air on TV3 with roughly half of its show dedicated to an exchange between the show’s host, Guy Williams, and Auckland mayoral candidate, Leo Molloy. The piece was funny if not especially edifying. Even for the minority of us who do engage with local body politics, Leo Molloy is probably better known for his character rather than his policy positions. Leo Molloy spent the vast majority of the segment teasing and insulting Guy. He used various low-level juvenile slurs and repeatedly accused Guy of being woke and soft. It ended with the pair having a boxing fight with novelty gloves before Guy recorded a parody endorsement video for Leo’s campaign. Guy Williams is now facing a backlash for the piece. He’s been accused of platforming a mayoral candidate, of normalising offensive behaviour, and of ultimately helping Leo’s campaign. These are ridiculous critiques that only serve to further entrench the things they’re criticising. Context is important. New Zealand Today’s audience is looking for a laugh. I can’t imagine many of the viewers tune into what is clearly and obviously a comedy programme, expecting serious and robust analysis of local body politics. New Zealand Today is a comedy. It isn’t Q+A. Anyone who watched will have been left in little doubt as to the sort of mayor Leo Molloy might be. He’s rambunctious. Entertaining? Sure. But he can also be crude, volatile, childish, and offensive. This comes as little surprise to those who have been following the campaign. Only a few weeks ago, Leo Molloy lost his temper at a mayoral debate and challenged a member of the audience to fight him. Are these the qualities you want in a mayor? Maybe not. But they’re qualities that make for funny TV, which is surely why Guy Williams chose to film with him. People have compared Guy’s piece to late night comedians’ treatment of Donald Trump in the lead up to the U.S election. The comparisons are unfair. Last I checked, Leo Molloy is running on a platform of local body infrastr