Kyle & Jackie O producer Bruno Bouchet has been fired by Today FM after making jokes on Twitter about the weekend’s cinema shootings in Colorado. He told Mumbrella today that at the time he did not realise the seriousness of the situation, and had been drinking.

A spokesman for the network said that Bouchet had been terminated because his comments violated the network’s social media policy.

Bouchet, a guest and talent producer, was with the show for two years. His duties included an on air role including the weekend Producers Edition of the Kyle & Jackie O Show.

The jokes were quickly removed. They were spotted by Jocks Journal over the weekend, which wrote on its Facebook page:

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“Very, very sad to read Bruno Bouchet’s Tweets (five ‘gags’) on the tragedy in America involving the killing of 12 people and up to 40 injured persons at a Colorado cinema. Bouchet, who is the Guest and Talent Producer on Kyle & Jackie O’s breakfast show, twittered these ‘so called jokes’ just minutes after the news broke. Mate, I think a ‘Twitter’ apology would be appropriate – not to me or your Twitter readers who may be offended – but to the US families who are grieving today over the loss of loved ones.”

Jeremy Simpson, 2Day FM’s Sydney general manager said in a statement: “Southern Cross Austereo has a strict social media policy that all staff must adhere to, and Bruno’s activity on Twitter was in breach of this policy. It is for this reason that Bruno’s employment has been terminated, effective immediately.”

Bouchet – a popular figure within the industry – told Mumbrella: