Durban - Gareth Cliff bids farewell Idols SA as a judge on Sunday to focus on other projects including CliffCentral online radio.
Known as the shock jock, Cliff will also release his second book, which coincides with his departure.
Cliff, earlier this year, was fired by M-Net for bringing the company into disrepute when he commented on Penny Sparrow, who made a racist remark on Facebook. He took his case to court and was reinstated.
It’s little wonder then that he would include a chapter on this in Cliffhanger.
“People don’t understand free speech at all. Believe it or not, those seven words caused me more trouble than George Carlin’s seven dirty words ever could. They’re the seven words you’re not allowed to say on television and radio. You’ll have to look them up, but the one that doesn’t belong there is tits”.
“Somehow, tits is one of the worst things you can say on television”, reads an extract from the book.
On Thursday, his fans can get a copy of the book in which Cliff recounts his days behind a microphone, the launch of CliffCentral, and his years as an Idols SA judge. It includes the inside story of his sacking and reinstatement in 2016, being told he has a “love child”, and smooching actress Julianne Moore in Hollywood.
Cliff told the Sunday Tribune that he always wanted to release a book but only found time this year to write it.
So what’s next for Cliff?
“Leaving Idols means I get my Sunday evenings back. Then there’s my real job at CliffCentral, the book, Touch Central, #Invest - an investment product we launched last week, and some other surprises,” said Cliff.
And he won’t miss being on Idols.
“I’m not sure I’ll miss anything. I intend seeing Unathi, Proverb, Randall and Somizi anyway, and the show will go on, but I’m not feeling sad. I’ve had a great time. The auditions are always the highlight of every season. I think the audience will agree,” he said.
What would he change or implement if he was the president of the country?
“I’d change public holidays. I’d take the twelve days we get every year, spread them evenly and give everyone one long weekend a month.
“That would increase productivity and take out all those Wednesday and Thursday holidays that waste whole weeks of the calendar,” said Cliff.
Sunday Tribune