Australian TV legend Bert Newton has dismissed the backlash to comments he made at this year’s Logies, calling the speech “totally innocent”.

On Sunday night, Newton said:

“Speaking of young talent, Graham Kennedy was always the sort of man who nurtured young talent.

“He enjoyed giving young people a chance on television, he was a great mentor, he mentored a lot of young people.

“You knew if you went to his dressing room it was locked, he will be inside doing some mentoring. Don Lane was a mentor too. He did a hell of a lot of mentoring.”

Later Newton told News Ltd he did mean anything by the comments.

“It was totally innocent so far as I am concerned,” he said.

“In fairness these days, everything is jumped on. I am not that sort of person. I didn’t mean anything untoward.”