Troubled former TV host Andrew O’Keefe convicted, fined after pleading guilty to drug driving

Troubled former game show host Andrew O’Keefe continues to be haunted by his past mistakes, despite taking rehab ‘very, very seriously’ as he returned to court.

Troubled former game show host Andrew O’Keefe continues to be haunted by his past mistakes, despite taking rehab ‘very, very seriously’, with a drug test result bringing him back before court.

O’Keefe, best known as the larger-than-life host of Deal or No Deal, fronted Waverley Local Court on Friday where he pleaded guilty to driving with an illicit drug present in his system.

The court heard O’Keefe was pulled over and arrested in July 2024, returning a positive roadside drug test while driving in Rose Bay.

However, O’Keefe was not issued a court attendance notice for the matter until November.

Andrew O'Keefe leaving Waverley Local Court.

The court heard the “substantial delay” was caused by the time it took for a positive result to be obtained from a more detailed laboratory analysis.

O’Keefe’s solicitor Jahan Kalantar said the charge should have been dealt with in October 2024, when O’Keefe was in court for unrelated matters.

“The delay in this charge was a surprise to us but we acknowledge he did breach it, his conduct was unlawful,” Mr Kalantar said.

Mr Kalantar also said his client’s offending “pre dates any of the rehabilitation efforts he made”.

“We accept he has a poor traffic history and struggled with illicit substances for an extended period of time, but to his credit he is taking rehab very seriously,” he said.

Andrew O'Keefe returned to court this week. Picture: NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

The court also heard at the time of the latest offence, O’Keefe had been ordered by the court to be on good behaviour after he was handed a conditional release for similar offending.

Magistrate Michael Barko said he accepted O’Keefe’s remorse was “genuine and sincere” and he’d been sober “for the best part of a year”.

He chose to deal with the matter by way of a conviction, $440 fine and 6 month license suspension.

It comes as the former Weekend Sunrise host was handed a 30-month community corrections order and $2500 in fines after pleading guilty to drug-related offences in October last year.