One topic Aussie celebs wish would just die

So many of the biggest local scandals of this year were about one issue – and it seems there’s no good way to handle it if you’re a celebrity.

Look, we’re all sick of Covid. As we head into 2022, the fact that a virus first discovered in the year 2019 is still ruling our lives is utterly depressing.

But spare a thought for Aussie celebs, who, during this pandemic, have found a whole new minefield of controversy to navigate without it blowing up in their faces.

Live interview clangers, ill-advised apology videos, social media scandals: It seems there really is no good way to tackle the thorny topic of Covid if you’re a celebrity. Your only safe option is to shut up – as these local controversies proved this year …

Paul Hogan

Paul Hogan's plea fell on deaf ears.

Back in May, iconic Aussie actor Paul Hogan complained during an interview on Sunrise that he was “desperately homesick” in Los Angeles and eager to return to his native Australia.

“I’m living in LA county which has 10 million people, and about half of ’em got COVID. So am I homesick? You bet your life,” he said.

“The crime’s up. I don’t go anywhere. The minute I can come home without being locked in a hotel for two weeks, I’m back,” he said.

But viewers didn’t have much sympathy for Hogan’s predicament, questioning how “desperate” he could be if he refused to undergo two weeks of hotel quarantine.

Quarantine like everyone else … or stay in America,” tweeted one viewer.

“Wants to come back but won’t do hotel quarantine; he’s not that desperate then if he won’t follow the rules,” wrote another.

“Desperately homesick … won’t quarantine for two weeks to get back. Must be reeeeal bad,” tweeted another.

Sam Frost

Sam Frost’s unsolicited vaccination video was a wild ride.

Frost’s public undoing was perhaps the most puzzling of all, because it wasn’t in response to anything: She wasn’t hastily trying to diffuse at any existing controversy, or answering a tricky question in an interview.

No, in October, Frost posted a lengthy, emotional video statement to her Instagram in which she revealed she was unvaccinated and pleaded for “compassion” and “empathy” for those who have decided not to get the jab.

“It’s a really hard time to be in society right now, you feel like you are less of a human and you feel like people judge you, and you’re too scared to talk about your opinion or your feelings, and part of you wants to go, ‘Well, it’s none of your damn business why I’m not (vaccinated),’” she complained.

The backlash was swift and ferocious, with many asking how exactly Frost was able to keep working on Home And Away despite not being vaccinated. The former Bachelorette later revealed her character was being “written out” temporarily to allow for her to get the jab, but for many the question remained: Why post about it at all?

Guy Sebastian

When an apology just makes things worse.

Sebastian’s September Covid controversy was a classic example of making a bad situation worse.

A post shared to his Instagram account promoted his involvement in the entertainment industry’s #VaxTheNation campaign – but after a minor backlash from some of his followers, Sebastian deleted the post and instead posted a grovelling apology video that only inflamed the situation.

“I would never, ever tell people what to do when it comes to their personal health choices,” he said in the confusing video, which got a whole lot more attention than the original post.

“I just want to say I’m really sorry, it was not a post that communicated with the love or compassion which I feel is needed when it comes to addressing things like vaccinations.

“I just wanted to clarify that so I could speak my truth and people would know how I actually feel.”

People didn’t know how he actually felt – and a resulting on-air stoush with Ray Hadley, who angrily told him to “get the splinters out of your arse; get off the fence,” only added fuel to the fire.

Kate Langbroek

Kate Langbroek: “Australians are not easygoing.”

The always outspoken broadcaster raised eyebrows during a fiery discussion on The Project in September. Tackling the issue of mandatory vaccinations in workplaces, Langbroek revealed she’d already had a heated off-air argument about the topic with fellow Project panellist Hamish Macdonald.

“You weren’t calling me a gentleman at that point,” said Macdonald, as Langbroek explained that she was “not anti-vax, but I’m very uncomfortable prescribing mandatorily to people what they have to put in their bodies to work or participate in – I‘m just not.”

She doubled down on the stance in an interview with Stellar the next month, saying: “I’m confused that everyone is so militant and happy about it.”
“You only have to see what’s happened in the pandemic to see Australians are not easygoing. We never think we’re this bunch of risk-averse, dobby neighbourhood snitches, but we are.”

Lawrence Mooney

Mooney is now suing Triple M after they axed him from the network. Supplied by Triple M

The comedian and (now former) Triple M presenter was caught out breaching Covid restrictions in June when he travelled to Byron Bay for a holiday – and when he pleaded ignorance, his own words were used against him by a radio rival.

“I know how serious this is and the impact lockdowns are having across the state and am very embarrassed by my misunderstanding and stuff up,” Mooney told Sydney Confidential after the publication caught him out via photos on his Instagram Story.

Calling the mishap an “honest mistake”, he added: “I feel like an absolute goose for not realising I wasn’t permitted to travel to Byron Bay during my break.”

However, his apology clearly wasn’t accepted by 2GB’s Ben Fordham, who shared audio of Mooney on-air talking about the strict lockdown rules for those who live and work in Sydney before he travelled to Byron.

“Lawrence, you knew you couldn’t go, you said it yourself … Busted. You’re telling big, fat, rotten lies and you know it,” he said.

Katie Hopkins

Katie Hopkins’ quarantine bragging didn’t do her any favours.

I’ve saved the best for last: A Covid faux-pas so bad it gets you deported. “Controversial” (translation: widely reviled) British commentator and serial reality show contestant Katie Hopkins was biding her time in Sydney hotel quarantine in July ahead of a planned stint on Big Brother VIP.

Never one to pass up an opportunity to be utterly obnoxious, Hopkins posted several videos from her hotel, bragging that she was flouting quarantine and putting staff at risk by not wearing her mask.

Well, people listened – and while Hopkins protested she had only been joking, her little videos saw her swiftly deported back to the UK and issued a $1000 fine for her troubles.

Originally published as One topic Aussie celebs wish would just die