While many would argue there was more than one bum note at Saturday night’s Eurovision Song Contest finale in Kiev, a Ukrainian prankster’s stage invasion may prove to be the most memorable. But now Vitalii Sediuk is facing five years in jail as authorities throw the book at him.
A high-profile serial offender, whose repeated attempts to court controversy have seen him become the bane of many red carpet events, Sediuk stormed the Eurovision stage as last year’s winner Jamala was performing.
Draped in an Australian flag and standing in front of the Ukrainian singer, Sediuk dropped his trousers and exposed his rear end to the 200m viewers watching across the continent – and the thousands still awake down under.
Removed from the stage by security guards, no reference to his stunt was made for the remainder of the show, which saw Portugal claim its first victory after more than 50 years of competing.
But Sediuk’s joke was entirely lost on Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Arsen Avakov, who described the prankster as “disgrace to the country.” Writing on Facebook, the politician advised Sediuk from repeating his prank “in the prison cell of the temporary detention facility.”
Vitalii Sediuk has a long history of courting controversy with pranks, earning a name for himself as shameless, fame-hungry agent provocateur after assaulting several female stars including America Ferrera, Kim Kardashian, Gigi Hadid and Miranda Kerr. He has been described as “Borat without the wit or satire,” and “a reprehensible piece of human garbage.”
At the 2013 Grammy Awards, Sediuk also stormed the stage when Adele was awarded the ‘Best Solo Performance’ prize, receiving a six-month suspended sentence after pleading no contest.
Sediuk will remain in police custody today, and will likely face charges of aggravated battery, with the penalty for conviction ranging from a fine to five years in jail.
