Larry Emdur divides fans over 'icky' name he called a female contestant on The Chase: 'It felt like gaslighting'

Larry Emdur courted controversy this week on The Chase when he was called out by fans for repeatedly calling a female contestant 'boo' on Thursday night.

The nickname appeared to be a joke that evolved from him using the term 'you do you, boo' earlier in the episode. 

However, some viewers took to Facebook to express their distaste over Larry, 61, repeatedly calling the woman, named Caleah, by the 'icky' nickname. 

'Did anyone else watch The Chaser [sic] tonight? Larry Emdur was constantly calling a female contestant "boo",' one person began the social media thread.

'They all tried to laugh it off, but the contestant was clearly uncomfortable with the situation. She asked him to stop. He laughed.

'And then he did it again after she was eliminated. Did anyone else feel this was clearly out of line? To me it felt like gaslighting.' 

The thread attracted mixed reactions, with some agreeing the nickname was icky, while others said it was only a 'joke'. 

'Didn't watch, but just from hearing, that's men always downing a woman by using infantile nicknames and claiming it's "just jokes",' one person wrote.

Another person replied to that comment with the word, 'Negging,' which is a term for subtle insults or backhanded compliments.

'I didn't watch, but there is nothing worse than setting a boundary and then it being ignored and laughed at,' someone else said.

Another agreed that the behaviour was 'icky', but said 'gaslighting' was the wrong term to use.

'Not denying his behaviour was icky, but gaslighting actually means "a form of psychological manipulation and emotional abuse where someone deliberately makes you question your own memory, perception of reality, or sanity" rather than a man thinking he's better or ignoring a clear boundary set,' they wrote.

Meanwhile, other fans who watched the episode said the term 'boo' was just Larry making a call back to a 'joke' he made earlier in the episode.

'I watched it. It was from his first lame joke with the chick [Caleah] playing. "You do you, boo." Then he just became even more cringe and kept repeating the lame a*** joke,' they explained.

'I think they were just joking,' someone else agreed. 

Daily Mail has reached out to Seven for comment. 

It's not the only time Larry has attracted heat this year, after he revealed in April that he copped some backlash over an April Fool's joke he made about Meghan Markle.

The Channel Seven star said he had received 'angry messages from around the world' after posting an innocent prank about the controversial A-lister.

The TV host sparked outrage when he claimed Meghan had made a long list of 'don't ask' questions ahead of an interview on The Morning Show.

'Scheduled' to take place during the Duchess tour Down Under, Larry touted the scoop as an 'exclusive', and announced the news on April 1 as an April Fool's Day joke.

However, the Gold Logie winner appeared unfazed by the attacks from keyboard warriors.

'I'm still getting trolled, and angry messages from around the world, which of course I couldn't give a fat flying stuff about,' Larry said in an Instagram post at the time.

'I posted it on April 1st, then it was sent around the world and landed in various feeds days later.

'So it somehow lost its April Fool's sting, which I think is bloody hysterical, that constitutes a hugely successful April Fool's gag in my book, anyway, if you're angry then just unfollow me 'coz I don't do angry.'