The official Australian premiere of `Game of Thrones` prequel series "House of the Dragon" landed in Sydney this week, but the event immediately turned contentious after Patrick Delany, the CEO of Australian television company Foxtel, referred to Emilia Clarke as a "short, dumpy girl."

According to Variety, Delany was giving a speech ahead of the "House of the Dragon" premiere screening and tried to make a joke about the first time he watched "Game of Thrones." The CEO said, "I was like, `What`s this show with the short, dumpy girl walking into the fire?`" Delany was referring to Daenerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke, who famously walked through fire in the series. According to a witness at the Sydney premiere, "there was a bit of a gasp" after Delany made the remark.