Made in Bondi star Lawson Mahoney hits back at the 'slander' against him as fans make strange accusation

Made In Bondi star Lawson Mahoney has been accused of faking his accent on the new reality show, which is the Australian version of reality TV hit Made in Chelsea.

He took to his Instagram page on Tuesday (August 27) to address the claims against him. He called the allegations “slander”, but poked fun at the idea that his voice wasn’t real by apologised for “offending” viewers with the sound of his voice.

In the video, Mahoney said that he had been made aware of speculation that he used a fake accent while filming because viewers thought he pronounced certain words in a strange way. The TV personality insisted, however, that he is speaking the same on-screen as he does off-screen.

He said: “I've heard the whispers, I've heard them all the way through the grapevine and I wish to address these allegations, address the confusion, address the slander on my name that somehow I'm faking an accent on a TV show.

“I have a unique way of speaking, my "Ls" are a little strange, a little South African if you will” He went on to say that his family had also warned him about his pronunciation before he embarked on a TV career. “My "Ts", my grandmother also told me, ‘you want to be on television, you want to be a movie star, well say your "Ts" and say them well!’,” he said.

Mahoney went on to admit that he was “nervous” about filming reality TV show, particularly during the first few episodes, which may have contributed to the way he spoke apparently sounding unnatural.

“I'm not sure if you've watched the first five episodes, but the scenes I'm having, I was a little nervous! I apologise to anyone I offended. I also laugh like a seagull, so I apologise to any seagulls that I might have offended,” he said.

Continuing with his light-hearted approach, he concluded: “But then again, if you're hating on my voice then you must be watching it, which is good in my books! Continue watching it and continue loathing the way I speak!”

Made In Bondi aired last week, but it’s been met with mixed reviews. Residents of the area told Yahoo that they're upset by how the beachside suburb is being portrayed on the reality show.

One local called Jean said: “The last thing Bondi needs is more unrealistic media reinforcing these stereotypes [that everybody is an influencer here]. This is one of the most diverse suburbs in Sydney with such a strong sense of community but that is never highlighted.”

A production source also told Yahoo: “To put it bluntly, no one from Bondi wanted anything to do with the project, so casting had to get creative. Ultimately, the show is made for an international audience though, so the specifics aren’t that important as long as viewers see young, hot people with an accent.”