When Adele asked the reporter, “What do you think of my album?” he replied: “I haven’t listened to it.”
While sources say that the star then stormed out of the interview, Matt has refuted the claims, as well as saying that he was "mortified" that he "missed" an email containing a copy of Adele's album in question.
“When I sat down to interview Adele, I was totally unaware that I’d been emailed a preview of her unreleased album,” Matt told The Australian.
“I have since discovered it was sent to me as an ‘e card’ link, which I somehow missed upon landing in London. It was an oversight but NOT a deliberate snub. This is the most important email I have ever missed.”
“Adele didn’t storm out. In fact, it was the polar opposite," the host continued.
"What was meant to be 20 minutes was extended to 29 minutes. The majority of the chat was about the album. I told her: ‘I’ve only had the privilege of hearing 'Easy on Me', but not the other tracks’.
"As part of a long discussion about the new album, I remark that it would be reductive to say it’s about heartbreak and divorce; instead, it’s about empowerment and hope.”
Following the disastrous interview, Sony then blocked Channel 7 from using the interview footage, forcing the network to hastily piece together footage of artists covering Adele for the One Night Only special aired on Sunday.
WATCH BELOW: Oprah and Adele meet for the very first time. Story continues below.
Matt added that at the end of the interview, he asked the two Sony reps: “‘Is there anything you want struck out?’ I’m utterly confounded. I’ve implored Sony to release the interview.”
He also denied that he had been suspended from Weekend Sunrise for two weeks over the gaffe.
This article first appeared on our sister site, New Idea.
