'Bad choice of words': Edmonton radio host apologizes over Ben Stelter comments
An Edmonton radio host apologized Thursday morning following public backlash over comments he made about the late Ben Stelter.
Stelter, the six-year-old who captured the hearts of Edmonton Oilers players and fans alike in 2022, passed away in August of that year after battling glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. Stelter was diagnosed when he was just four years old.
During Kiss 91.7’s The Pepper and Dylan Morning Show yesterday, hosted by Rob Pepper and Dylan Wowchuk, a conversation was had regarding the song “La Bamba,” due to someone hating the song and not understanding why it was the Oilers’ winning anthem and the history behind it.
@m_dan25/X
In response to trying to explain the lore of the song, Pepper commented that “you can’t hate a song because a dead kid liked it,” in reference to the late Stelter.
That comment quickly ignited anger amongst Edmontonians and beyond, who took to social media to express their distaste over the remarks.
I want to hear a heartfelt apology from Pepper & Dylan for the insensitive remarks about Ben Stelter.
— X Cari (@JustCariL) April 30, 2026
That’s horrible. They need to apologize AND give a huge donation to the Ben Stelter Foundation.
— 🇨🇦🌻🤔🌈 (@MgtmMoisan) April 29, 2026
Hey assholes.Ben Stelter wasn’t just “a dead kid. The fact that you called him that repeatedly is disgusting. He was a families whole world supported by a community that loved him.The Stelter’s deserve basic dignity of respect and an apology. @awcanada @EdmontonOilers Do better!
— 🇨🇦Maggie 🇨🇦 (@CarmYEGAB) April 29, 2026
@AWCanada pull your sponsorship of @pepperanddylan on @KiSSedmonton – Repeatedly referred to Ben Stelter, a 6 year old who passed away from cancer in 2022, as “the dead kid” on their show. With a friends 4 year old fighting cancer right now, this in unforgivable.
— Mike Clark ️ ️ (@MikeClarkLife) April 29, 2026
On Thursday morning, Pepper and Wowchuk addressed the remarks on-air, with Pepper acknowledging that he had made a mistake, calling his choice of words “terrible” and “horrifying.”
“‘That dead kid’ is not something you want to hear from your radio show. No, and I said that, and I regret that,” Pepper said, adding that he hopes to be speaking to Ben’s father, Mike Stelter, to apologize to him directly.
“I’m sorry to the family. I’m sorry to the fact that, because Ben’s dad didn’t hear about it, he heard about it and read it on social media. The most important apology to make is to the family, the loved ones, the nurses who worked closely with him,” he added.
Pepper also shared that he got a message from a nurse who cared for Ben before he passed, detailing how wonderful a kid he was while at the Stollery, before admitting that those sorts of things are a “blind spot” for him.
“I didn’t think about it when I said ‘dead kid,’ right? I didn’t think of it. I didn’t humanize it the way I should. I am sorry. Full stop. Full stop. It was a bad choice of words; it was horrible. I am glad I got called out on this one.”
Pepper added he is not expecting or asking anybody to accept his apology; he’s just hoping that they hear he regrets his comments, calling them a poor choice of words, and that there was no ill intent behind any of it.