Australian celebrity scandals 2018: The Aussie stars the courted controversy this year
From picking fights with 15-year-olds, to falling out of favour with the Kardashian clan, our homegrown celebs faced plenty of controversy in 2018. These are the stars who had a rocky year.
Celebrities gone bad
Don't miss out on the headlines from Celebrities gone bad. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Some of Australia’s high-profile celebrities haven’t had the best year.
From losing their jobs, to court battles, health problems and drama-fueled personal lives that have played out in the public, a string of the nation’s most familiar faces have had their fair share of controversy this year.
Notably the most scandalous celebrity news event was Karl Stefanovic being punted from the Today Show after 14 years as the king of breakfast TV, a move in which many thought was a long time coming after his headline-making behaviour including an infamous Uber ride phone call and his lavish Mexican wedding.
But it wasn’t just the once lovable larrikin who seems to have had a year from hell.
Who could forget the catastrophic The Bachelor season finale which made a mockery of Nick Cummins and forced him to flee the country, or Ruby Rose’s ugly social media fight with her ex girlfriend - Jessica Origliasso from The Veronicas.
These are some of the other Aussie stars who courted controversy in 2018:
REBEL WILSON
Australia’s comedic export has had her fair share of attention this year, but not necessarily for the right reasons.
In a spectacular reversal following her landmark $4.7 million defamation payout, Wilson was ordered to pay back the majority of the hefty settlement to Bauer Media in June. The Bridesmaid’s star had accused the Woman’s Day publisher of having “vulture” journalists report that she lied about her real name, age and childhood in order to boost her Hollywood career. Wilson later admitted one occasion, when he age was listed as 29, she chose not to correct it. Despite vowing to fight to decision, the High Court refused her appeal application in November.
Amid the debacle, Wilson sensationally claimed on The Ellen De Generes show in October that she was “the first ever plus-size girl to be the star of a romantic comedy”. Ignoring the successes of stars including Queen L’atifah, Mo’Nique and Melissa McCarthy, Wilson’s comment about her role in Isn’t it Romantic immediately drew ire from social media. The actor then begun blocking Twitter users as the internet tore into her, but later apologised for her remark.
TAMMY HEMBROW
After being welcomed into what could arguably be one of the world’s top social circles, Aussie model Tammy Hembrow was crushed after an embarrassing incident at Kylie Kardashian’s 21st birthday.
Stealing the limelight from the youngest of the Kardashian clan, Hembrow collapsed at the pink-themed party, and was wheeled out in a stretcher as guests looked on in horror.
The Instagram influencer blamed her busy schedule for the incident, claiming she was “running off pretty much 30 hours of no sleep”, and even revealed her ultimate first-world problem in the lead-up to the party.
“I was struggling to stay awake even when I was getting my hair and make-up done,” Hembrow explained.
But that wasn’t good enough for the iconic Kardashian-Jenner clan, who robbed the fitness model of four Instagram fans when Kris, Kim, Kourtney, and Kendall promptly unfollowed her following the incident.
And it wasn’t the only fallout the 24-year-old mum-of-two copped after that fateful, booze-ridden night. Aussie socialite Imogen Anthony slammed Hembrow as a “weirdo”.
NICK “HONEY BADGER” CUMMINS
After falling into obscurity following his rugby career, the Honey Badger worked through television commercials until finally reaching reality-TV stardom in the form of The Bachelor season six.
Cummins became a household name known for his deeply Aussie character, and the nation watched in anticipation as 28 women courted over a man who once grimly described his erection as “something a cattle dog couldn’t chew through”.
So naturally, Australians were outraged when this champion of modern-day romance decided that neither Brittany Hockley nor Sophie Tieman of the final two were worthy of the last rose. Some described the season as a waste of time, while others labelled Cummins a coward. But ultimately, the Honey Badger said everyone needed to ‘get over it’, before returning to his burrow.
SHANNON NOLL
Nollsie’s actions this year would never have been commended with a famous Mark Holden “touchdown”.
The 2003 Australian Idol runner-up found himself in hot water after footage emerged of his aggressive outburst at the Duck Creek Picnic Races in Nygnan, NSW. Headlining the family-friendly event, the rock artist unleashed on a can-throwing crowd member, saying: “I’ll f*** your missus and your mum”.
“Come on then, that f***head in the tie. You’re a f***ing maggot. Have some f***ing balls to come up here ... cheapshot prick,” he yelled at the crowd.
While he later apologised for the bizarre rant, his country-pub laden tour schedule took a blow when the Mount Isa Mines Rotary Rodeo scrapped him from their line-up following the incident.
Just a couple of months later, the man who once performed the “the most bogan rendition” of the Australian anthem ever heard” was caught with a bag of “white power” at a Sydney Hotel.
A dog squad search found Nollsie with the substance that a NSW police spokeswoman said was “believed to be cocaine”, and the Australian music icon was promptly arrested. He was ultimately charged for possession, pleaded guilty and handed a one-year good behaviour bond.
RUBY ROSE
The Orange is the New Black star looked like she was just paying her ex-girlfriend a compliment on Instagram. But according to The Veronicas’ Jess Origiasso, her comment was anything but.
The pair appeared to have an amicable split in April, explaining that they “still (loved) each other very much”. But when Rose wrote “Congratulations! So happy for you both,” under a snap of Origiasso and her new boyfriend Kai Carlton, her ex accused her “continued harassment”.
“@rubyrose I have requested you not contact me for over 4 months now. You have been given my grace of being ignored on every other private platform, so the fact you continue to ignore this to contact me here publicly under the guise of wishing me well is continued harassment,” Origiasso wrote.
Rose simply replied: “That is news to me. Copy that. Good vibes only.”
BARRY HALL
He might have had an illustrious, 15-year-long AFL career, but his time on the radio waves was anything but legendary.
Just two months after Triple M announced the “big, bad, bustling Barry Hall” would join the broadcaster’s football line-up, he was sacked for offensive comments that left listeners disgusted.
Hall’s banter with fellow commentator Leigh “Joey” Montagna quickly turned sinister when he joked a doctor “licked his fingers” after checking on Montagna’s while she was pregnant
Slammed by popular radio presented Meshel Laurie as a rape joke, Hall continued to sit there among the panellists for another hour before being terminated. He later said it was a “silly thing to say” and that he had “nothing but respect for women”.
But Hall seemingly felt slighted when he went on A Current Affair a month later, saying his family had “no income” following the dismissal. But being strapped for cash might mean something different in Baz’s world, with his wife Lauren Brant gifting him a brand new, $57,000 Holden Trailblazer just days after the segment aired.
KARL STEFANOVIC
Karl and Peter Stefanovic proved why its never a good idea to talk on speaker, after an Uber driver leaked a juicy conversation between them.
The cunning driver reportedly recorded Karl bagging out his Nine colleagues when his brother was sitting in the back of the ride share with his wife Sylvia Jeffreys.
Richard Wilkins, Georgie Gardner, Mark Burrows and Nine bosses were all in Karl’s firing line.
The driver later denied he had illegally recorded the outburst, instead, claiming he remembered the conversation, but it was reported New Idea paid him $50,000 for the story.
Nine’s top talent reportedly ranted for 45 minutes to Peter, accusing Today co-host Gardner of having few and needing to “step up” if she “wanted to stay on the show”.
Karl was also accused of slamming entertainment reporter Richard Wilkins for hogging the entertainment space, while long-time journalist Mark Burrows reportedly looked down on him.
Soon after, tensions appeared to be on show during the morning show, and most apparent when Karl refused to watch a segment on a UK sausage dog event, revealing he’d been “savaged” by one of the short-statured pooches as a child.
“You have to face your fears, Karl,” newsreader Deb Knight said at the time.
“That’s right, and that’s coming up - don’t you worry about that,” Gardner responded.
She eventually told Karl after he continued to voice his sausage dog fears: “Well, it’s probably about now I should call you pathetic.”
Even Stefanovic’s ritzy Mexican wedding to Jasmine Yarbourgh caused him strife.
When the former golden boy was dumped as the Today show co-host, sources close to Nine bosses revealed they were angry about the “over the top” event.
Since Stefanovic was axed, Nine bosses are continuing to clean out the decks at the Today Show with Richard Wilkins and Sylvia Jeffreys both gone. Karl’s brother Peter is also gone from Weekend Today.
ROXY JACENKO
She might be a PR queen, but there’s one personal crisis Roxy Jacenko has struggled to spin.
After her highrolling, stockbroker husband Oliver Curtis copped a one-year jail sentence for insider trading, Jacenko was caught kissing her ex-boyfriend Nabil Gazal shortly before Curtis’ release in mid-2017.
But Aussie media didn’t let up on the issue, dragging it through 2018. In February, Curtis slammed her property-developer ex, calling him a ‘disgusting human’ when probed by Kyle and Jackie O. And at an event in June, the Sweaty Betty founder admitted to thinking “f**ck me, I’m in trouble”, after the fateful night.
In November, when the pair appeared in a tell-all interview on Sunday Night, an emotional Jacenko spoke of her anguish when her husband was jailed, and how she blamed him for her cancer diagnosis - of which she has since recovered.
“I felt bad saying it, but, to be honest with you, at the time you know I was very resentful,” she said.
SAM NEWMAN
No stranger to controversy, AFL personality Sam Newman delivered a bizarre rant about Australia’s Muslim community just one week after Senator Fraser Anning’s ‘racist’ maiden speech.
Newman, who once referred to a Malaysian man as a monkey, took aim on his Sam, Mike and Tommy podcast, claiming Muslims contributed to a divided community.
The Footy Show co-host’s comments followed an embrace during a coin toss between Bombers star Adam Saad and Richmond midfielder Bachar Houli - a display of multicultural inclusion.
“They don’t generally nationalise, they colonise,” Newman said.
“There are 600,000 Muslims in Australia, they share no common interest with what we’re on about.”
The 72-year-old eventually doubled down on his criticism, saying he was attacking the AFL for being too political.
“This is my opinion. I don’t think they should be involved in doing that.”
Newman, whose career on Nine’s AFL Footy Show has now been saved, also raised eyebrows when he gave his emotional speech on what he thought would be his last appearance on the program.
Newman threw in a few jibes to those who have criticised him previously.
“I will not be continuing,” he said as he became emotional.
“It’s opportune that I end my association with this show and the network on the off-chance that this is the final show that we do.
“I want to thank you very much for putting up with me or enjoying me.
“This station won’t or can’t tell us if this show will be on next year, either in this format or in some other format and they can’t tell me if I’ll be part of the show next year if it’s on or if I’ll be part of a different show if it’s on.
“So, on the off-chance, listen to those words, on the off-chance this show is not on next year, this is the opportune time to say what I’m about to say because it’s no good doing it next week when the grand final show is on, because that’s about revelry and merriment, gaiety and laughing.”
IGGY AZALEA
Australia’s controversial rap export was just trying to enjoy Cardi B’s Hollywood party, until she came face-to-face with 15-year-old teen rapper Bhad Bhabie - real name Danielle Bregoli.
Known as the “Cash Me Outside” girl, Bhabie took issue with Azalea’s “two-faced” character, before tossing a drink at her.
In a previous internet stoush, the “Fancy” singer had claimed Bregoli couldn’t sell a gig ticket.
“It’s simple. Don’t talk all sorts of sh*t on the internet n come up to me like u my friend,” Bregoli said in an Instagram story following the incident.
Azalea, 28, attempted to laugh it off in her own video.
“What kind of Jerry Springer, ‘Who’s baby is this?’, Dr. Phil ass sh*t is this? Oh my God, I am a grown-up, I cannot,” she said.
“Mama, good luck with your career. You’re young. You’re gonna look back on this and you’re gonna really feel dumb,” she said.
Bhad Bhabie: “don’t come up to me acting like my friendâ€
— AARXN (@aarxnmusic) 15 November 2018
Bhad Bhabie: pic.twitter.com/HOYTcn2VfE
Iggy Azalea responds after Bhad Bhabie throws a drink at her at Cardi B’s @FashionNova event. pic.twitter.com/2umbHjJthp
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) 15 November 2018
ITA BUTTROSE
Daytime TV aficionados were shocked when the media icon announced her departure from Studio 10 out of nowhere.
Viewers had just got used to a show without long-time presenter Jessica Rowe when Buttrose announced her exit in April.
It was rumoured the show’s founder was furious after execs handed the plum royal wedding reporting gig to Lisa Wilkinson and Angela Bishop.
“Execs were trying to convince Ita to stay but once she found out she wouldn’t be covering the royal wedding, she wanted nothing more to do with Ten,” a source told Now to Love.
“To say she was shocked they gave the gig to Lisa Wilkinson and Angela Bishop would be an understatement. It was a huge snub to a legend. She was stunned and very upset. It was insulting.”
But it supposedly wasn’t the only issue Buttrose had with show. The Cleo founding editor apparently continued to loathe fellow presenter Denise Drysdale following their infamous brussel sprout-throwing fight in 2017.
While pannelists Sarah Harris and Joe Hildebrand sun praise for Buttrose on her last day, Drysdale stayed quiet.
“The dynamics were so fascinating,” entertainment commentator told Kyle and Jackie O.
“It was so obvious that there is absolute loathing going on there.”
Evans’ latest mask tirade
Celebrity chef Pete Evans has again taken aim at the “fear-based programming” behind the celebrity ads encouraging us to wear masks.
Star apologises to sex workers
After her OnlyFans debut earned her over $2m, a former Disney starlet has issued an apology to sex workers who weren’t happy.