Spanian Kebabs to open in Newtown despite homophobic rant
A social media star who lost his management over anti-gay rants during World Pride is bringing his kebab empire to a surprising Sydney suburb.
A controversial drill rapper is opening a restaurant in the heart of Sydney’s gay community despite a horrific homophobic rant that saw his management drop him.
Anthony Lees, better known online as Spanian, is a former career criminal who spent more than a decade behind bars, turned drill rapper and social media sensation following his release from prison in 2017.
His TikTok, YouTube and Instagram content typically centres around his series Into The Hood, which sees the 35-year-old visit some of the world’s most dangerous and notorious neighbourhoods to see what life is really like for the people who live there. He is also the owner of Spanian’s Kebabs, with seven food truck locations already.
In a startling twist, Spanian – who was dropped from his management company following homophobic slurs during World Pride in 2023 – has now revealed he is opening a new location in Sydney’s Newtown.
The new kebab store location will replace the vacated shopfront on King St, formerly occupied by the only Mr Potato location in New South Wales. The fast food business, co-founded in 2024 by Miss Universe finalist Jess David and basketball player Tyson Hoffman, shut up shop earlier this year.
“Oi, look at this, cuz. The middle of Newtown, big news brother,” he told his followers in a TikTok video over the weekend.
“What does that say, brother? Spanian Kebabs, cuz. Not only is this our first store but we’ve got four stores being built.”
Other Spanian’s Kebabs are more akin to a food truck. He said not only was it the first actual store, but there was “finally a store in his hood”.
The irony of Spanian’s choice of location was not lost on some people, especially following his horrifying comments made about the LGBTQIA+ community during Sydney’s hosting of World Pride in 2023.
“I’m f***ing sick of this f***ing perverted, putrid s***, like a bunch of deadset paedophiles hiding behind some f***ing gay pride,” he said in an Instagram rant, the Daily Mail reported at the time.
The YouTuber claimed that it was being “forced upon” adults and children and that everyone was “too scared” to say something.
“All of these child groomers hiding in plain sight, the times coming to an end, I’m not copping it no more. I’m f***ing over it. I’m calling it out,” he said.
“What else do we have to accept? … What else do you want to teach our children? F***ing sick of this. F*** ‘em.”
Newtown, as well as Darlinghurst’s Oxford Street, is one of Sydney’s biggest gay areas with rainbow flags lining the streets, LGBT bars and even NSW’s first council funded LGBTQIA+ Pride Centre. It’s akin to New York’s Greenwich Village or San Francisco’s Castro.
Unsurprisingly, people were surprised at Spanian’s choice for his next kebab shop.
“Why the hell is the first store in Pride central,” one person said.
Another remarked: “Out of all places Newtown.”
“I haven’t been to NSW for a while but isn’t Newtown a full on hipster place,” another social media user asked.
news.com.au reached out to Spanian for comment.
Spanian opened his first Melbourne location in May and fans of the rapper flocked to the venue.
Social media videos showed hordes of people queuing up, with a line snaking down the street.
One described the massive crowd as “worse than Disneyland”.
Another clip revealing swarms of people all queued up outside the food truck also shows motorbikes and Lamborghinis on display, with music blasting as the sun goes down.
“I drove past saw the line chucked a U turn and went to Katik,” one user wrote, referencing a popular bakery in Melbourne.
“Drove here, seen the line, went to KFC,” another posted.
Foodie influencer @eatwithkevin posted a video to TikTok revealing that he waited in line for five hours to try the kebabs, ordering a mixed kebab and confirming it was “absolutely loaded with sauce”. He also tried the chicken plate with garlic sauce, saying it was “good” but “not amazing”.
Ultimately, the popular food blogger rated the new Spanian’s location a 3.75 out of 5.
News of the Newtown location comes after the controversial YouTuber appeared to have split from his wife of two years and moved on with another woman.
Taking to social media on Monday evening, he appeared to confirm his new relationship status in a post after a video he shared of himself cuddling up to a blonde was published in the media.
“I’m in The Daily Telegraph because I have a missus, I’m in the news because I have a beautiful new missus,” he said on social media.
“I get a girlfriend, I’m in the news, I break-up with my ex wife, I’m in the news … I love the fact that I’m extremely relevant …”
The content creator shares a five-month-old boy with his ex Angela McColl whom he married in August 2023.
The revelation comes a matter of weeks after McColl posted and then deleted a social media post teasing a “story time” about their marriage.
“Who the f**k did I marry and have a kid too will be out shortly, shout-out to spanian.official, (sic)” she wrote before later deleting the post.
A day later however, McColl backtracked and claimed she was wrong about her “receipts”.
“I was given wrong information … about a child being born at the same time as mine with the same person … I received fake ultrasounds, fake texts and fake photos. People crazy, everyone can unfollow me now,” she wrote, before making a joke about “crashing out”.
