 A year later, Sandilands referred to contestant Bobby Flynn as a "mong" – a derogatory slang term for mongoloid, referring to people suffering from Down syndrome.Sandilands claimed that he meant no disrespect to those with Down syndrome.On 3 August 2009, Network Ten issued a press statement announcing that Sandilands had been sacked from "Australian Idol", citing the network's view that the "Kyle and Jackie O Show's" content was incompatible with the family-oriented image of "Idol".