Emilia Clarke Issued an Apology After TV CEO Calls Her “Dumpy-Looking” at the ‘House of the Dragon’ Premiere

Foxtel CEO, Patrick Delany, has found himself in hot water after calling Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke “dumpy-looking” at the House of the Dragon premiere. In an effort to do some damage control, his team has issued an apology to the actress, who, luckily, was not in attendance at the event.

Prior to a screening of the prequel series’ first episode, the executive recounted his initial thoughts of Game of Thrones when he first began watching.

“I was like, ‘What’s this show with the dumpy-looking girl who walks into the flames?’” he said.

The reference, made about Clarke’s character, Daenerys Targaryen, reportedly fell flat amongst the audience. One attendee claimed there was “a bit of a gasp” and that people were “shocked” by the comment, per Crikey. However, a spokesperson told the outlet that the intention behind his words were not meant to offend, but rather were meant to be “self-deprecating and light-hearted.”

“The aim was to convey that for him, Games of Thrones was something very different for television in 2011 and that Emilia Clarke went from relatively unknown to one of the most recognized and most-loved actors in television and film,” they said. “On behalf of Mr. Delany, the Foxtel Group apologizes if his remarks were misunderstood and caused any offense.”

Game of Thrones lasted for eight seasons between 2011 and 2019. The show garnered 59 Primetime Emmy Awards and remains as HBO’s most-watched series. Its undeniable success landed it its own prequel series, House of the Dragon, which will tell the story of the Targaryen civil war, taking place 300 years before Game of Thrones.

House of the Dragon is set to drop its first episode on Aug. 21 on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

source: nypost.com