A Cambodian television show has come under fire for playing a heartless Mother’s Day prank on a teenage girl.
MyTV variety show Penh Chet Ort (Like It Or Not) invited 13-year-old Autumn Allen to appear on the programme and told her that she would be reunited with her mother, from whom she had been separated for years after her father moved to Cambodia from the US.
However, the feature was a cruel prank and Allen was instead introduced to cross-dressing comedian and game show judge Chuop Rolin.
“What are you thinking? Did you think it was real?” one of the presenters asked the teenager.
According to Sky News, the stunt has since been branded “stupid, brainless and heartless”, with producers admitting they had made a mistake.
Allen has said that although she was disappointed, she enjoyed her appearance on the show.
“On that day, I was very excited because I thought [my mother] was actually coming. At the moment, I was sad that I could not see my real mother, but I had fun doing the show,” she explained to the Phnom Phen Post.
“Initially I was disappointed, but Rolin made me laugh so I had fun on the show. My dad was very proud of how I handled myself in the situation. He took me to a nice restaurant afterward.”
