Melbourne comedian sacked after group of men joke about US influencer's murder on his podcast

A Melbourne comedian has been fired from his day job after an inappropriate comment was made about American murder victim Gabby Petito on a recent podcast.

Stand-up comedian Nick Trapani recently chatted with three other Australian funnymen on the latest episode of his Trapanischoice podcast, when a shocking comment was made about Petito.

The group was discussing the topic of influencers when one made an off-colour remark about the late social media star, who was killed by her fiancé in 2021.

'That's the real reason that Petito chick got killed. You know, she was in the van with the boyfriend,' one man said.

'Well that's America. America's f**ked up, I don't know what you expect,' a second man responded.

The first man then made a shocking remark about Petito's murder in August 2021, during a 'van life' trip with her partner Brian Laundrie.

'But when you look at it that way, fair enough, justified,' the first man responded, with another calling Petito an 'influenza'. 

'She was a virus, yes. She was, I dunno, probably 21, 22, hottish, you'd give her one in an emergency,' the first man responded. 

Trapani himself did not make any remarks about Petito, but was seen laughing at what the other men said. 

The men were immediately slammed online for making light of a real-life tragedy – and Trapani's employer was quick to respond by terminating his employment as a commentator.

'South Coast Monster Trucks has made the decision that Nick Trapani will no longer be representing or working with our organisation,' they wrote in a statement.

'The content that has been brought to our attention does not reflect our values or the standards we expect from anyone associated with our team.

'Our goal has always been to create a safe, enjoyable and family-friendly environment for our community, and we stand firmly by those values.

'We sincerely apologise to anyone who has been hurt, upset or disappointed by the situation. We appreciate everyone who raised their concerns with us and allowed us the opportunity to properly review the situation before making this decision.' 

Trapani, who also runs a remedial massage clinic in Preston, is a popular amateur comedian and presenter with a large following on social media.

The Trapanischoice Instagram page has since been deactivated. 

Petito was reported missing in September 2021, during which time her partner was back in Florida - and he quickly became a 'person of interest' in her disappearance.

His parents reported him missing just days before Petito's remains were found in a national park later that month.

During a massive manhunt for him, a forensic examiner ruled Petito's death a homicide, and he became the number one suspect in her murder.

His decomposing body was found in a Florida park in October 2021.