Australian politicians, health professionals, media react to 60 Minutes Pete Evans coronavirus conspiracy interview

Australians have reacted in disbelief over a puzzling segment aired on 60 Minutes, in which chef turned conspiracy theorist Pete Evans aired a bizarre concern.

Australians have reacted in awe over a “wild” and controversial 60 Minutes segment spruiking celebrity chef Pete Evans and a former security guard trainer turned social media star over the proliferation of coronavirus conspiracy theories.

Media identities, health professionals and viewers took to social media overnight to express their disbelief and anger at both Evans and 60 Minutes over the segment, which featured Evans and Fanos Panayides — “some dude from Epping” — who “gave up a job training security guards to set up an online group that now has 60,000 members”.

The group name includes the phrase, “it’s us or them”.

Evans has courted controversy in recent months for airing fringe views on 5G technology, vaccinations and coronavirus.

RELATED: Pete Evans’ sneaky move against 60 Minutes

RELATED: Pete Evans tells 60 Minutes he’s ‘suspicious’ about coronavirus

RELATED: Top Australian doctor urges Pete Evans to seek help

Much of the segment was devoted to spouting the theories of the pair including reflecting on the time Evans spruiked a $15,000 Bio-charger lamp, which he claimed could help those with COVID-19. Evans has since been fined over the matter.

“I am sceptical. And I also am suspicious because history has shown us that, I mean, even science and you know, this as a fact, science has been bought by vested interests in so many different fields over the years,” Evans told journalist Liz Hayes.

“My intention is to inhabit a place of everything. So nothing is closed off, you know, and to be in that space, it means you’re allowed to ask questions from all sides.”

Why are 60min giving Pete Evans free advertising? The whacko conspiracy stuff, the anti-vaccine BS etc are all designed to harvest eyeballs to sell his books, his supplements and processed foods.
He doesn’t care how much damage it does as long as those sweet $$ keep rolling in

— Dr Darren Saunders (@whereisdaz) June 3, 2020

“To the best of my knowledge at this particular point in time, all the evidence proves or shows at this point in time that the COVID-19 virus exists.” Pete Evans tells #60Mins. pic.twitter.com/az2oxCkMXP

— 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) June 7, 2020

Evans conceded he thought coronavirus existed but said he would refuse to be vaccinated against it once a cure is found.

Meanwhile Panayides said his journey of self discovery began when he was a 12-year-old boy.

“I remember I came into the house and my dad sat me down and he said, ‘There’s going to be a day in the future that you’re going to get told to put a microchip in you’,” he said.

“He goes, ‘Just listen to my words. When that day comes, don’t you dare put that thing in your body’.

“I’m quite sure that (he got it) from something called the Prophecy of St. John that he’d read.”

For protest leader Fanos Panayides, when COVID-19 was sweeping the world and infecting more than 6 million people, he decided the numbers didn’t add up. #60Mins pic.twitter.com/kyZGBo9em7

— 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) June 7, 2020

I grew up watching 60 minutes in awe of its investigative journalism.. what the hell has happened to it?

— Natalie Forrest (@nat_forrest) June 7, 2020

Fanos said he did not believe the coronavirus existed but was “probably a flu going around and getting people sick, but I believe the, the motives of the world at the moment doesn’t make sense at all”.

He blamed pictures of morgues and bodies in Italy and New York on “media manipulation”.

There was nothing in the segment to support either of their claims.

Fanos is my favourite Marvel character

— Naaman Zhou (@naamanzhou) June 7, 2020

The high profile Australians to criticise Pete Evans and the segment include Derryn Hinch, who compared Pete’s “if I disappear” moment to Pauline Hanson’s leaked 1997 recording in which she stated, “If you are seeing me now, it means I have been murdered.”

60 Minutes’ story finished with Evans airing the concerns for his safety that had already aired in Nine’s promo through the week. “I could I could very easily disappear....If I disappear in a weird freakin’ accident, it wasn’t an accident, OK?” he said.

For Pete Evans, keeping a skeptical eye on what we’re being told is important to him. It’s a message he is determined to continue to spread – whatever the personal cost. #60Mins pic.twitter.com/g9EGEvDUCJ

— 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) June 7, 2020

Crackpot conspiracy chef Pete Evans’ promo for 60 Minutes ‘ if I disappear…’ sounds like Pauline Hanson’s infamous ‘ if you are seeing this I am already dead’.

— Derryn Hinch (@HumanHeadline) June 7, 2020

Imagine if Pete Evans had an "accident" — where on Earth will we find another celebrity chef? #60minutes

— Dan Ilic 🧴👐 (@danilic) June 7, 2020

Pete Evans and Fanos on @60Mins are reminding me to be so thankful that Australia decided to listen to experts in science and medicine when tackling this pandemic... rather than celebrity chefs.

— Alison Piotrowski (@apiotrowski9) June 7, 2020

Meanwhile, Evans has followed through on an earlier promise to post the full, unedited footage of his 60 Minutes interview, sharing it on YouTube at the exact same time as the segment started airing on Nine on Sunday night.

In an Instagram post pointing his followers to his YouTube video, Evans explained his decision to share the unedited footage of the interview: “We don’t have free-to-air TV so I will not be watching 60 Minutes tonight I trust they will do a wonder filled story of hope and love and bringing the community together to evolve through this period … Enjoy the show and I invite you down the rabbit hole with me.”

The My Kitchen Rules judge turned conspiracy theorist Evans had revealed to his followers he had a plan in place if he was unhappy with his portrayal on 60 Minutes.

Googlebox, but it's Pete Evans watching the news.

— Adam Liaw (@adamliaw) June 7, 2020

Lol, an 'exclusive' with Pete Evans. No other program wants to air his dangerous views

— Natasha Robinson (@NC_Robinson) June 7, 2020