Radio host Carrie Bickmore is facing criticism after publicly commenting on the filming abilities of a stranger she asked to capture a surprise reunion at an airport. Bickmore, 45, posted a video to Instagram showing her hugging a friend upon arrival, but later expressed dissatisfaction with the man who filmed the moment.
"When you ask a stranger at the airport to film a surprise reunion and he stands 5kms away. And has a little dig about us at the end," Bickmore wrote in her Instagram caption. The "little dig" she referred to was a comment made by the man filming to a bystander, where he joked, "It's women," after being asked if he captured something special.
Her post drew a swift reaction from some followers who felt she was unfairly criticizing the man for performing a favor. Comments included "Or 'thank you' for doing this would work too," and "Why blame the man? The women clearly ran from him?" Another user added, "To be fair he's not directing a movie... you asked to film... he filmed."
Some users also took issue with Bickmore's public shaming of the individual. "When you ask a stranger to do you a kindness and then publicly shame him for not doing it to your liking," one comment read.
However, not all reactions were negative. Some Instagram users defended Bickmore, criticizing the man's filming and his remark at the end of the clip. "Ask a woman to film next time. She will understand the assignment haha," one user joked. Another supported Bickmore's sentiment, saying, "Your first mistake was handing your phone to a man."
This incident follows a previous controversy last month where Bickmore faced backlash from a listener during a debate on her radio show, "Carrie & Tommy." The discussion centered on whether children should be taught about menstruation at a young age, leading to a heated exchange with a caller who objected to the topic being discussed while their children were present in the car. Bickmore expressed surprise at the view that periods were not a subject for parental discussion.
