How movers and shakers spun the Confidential rumour mill – for all the wrong reasons
It has been a big year of celebrity highs and lows.Welcome to your 2024 Sydney gossip unwrapped: all the movers and shakers’ mishaps, break downs, controversies, and changes that spun the Confidential rumour mill this year.
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It has been a big year of celebrity highs and lows.
Here are some of the mishaps, break downs, controversies and changes that spun the Confidential rumour mill this year.
ALAN JONES
Following a number of allegations last year, veteran broadcaster Alan Jones faced 26 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching against nine young men, including a high-profile Olympic athlete.
The 83-year-old was arrested by officers at his home in Circular Quay in November.
Court documents revealed more details about the historical charges including allegations he touched or fondled complainants’ genitalia and squeezed bottoms with the offences alleged to have occurred at various locations including Sydney, Kiama, Newtown and Fitzroy Falls.
The charges include 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault, 11 of assault with act of indecency, two of sexually touching another person, and two of common assault.
Jones remains on bail, and has indicated he will defend the charges.
SAM KERR RACISM CHARGES
Let’s not forget when Matilda’s star Sam Kerr was arrested for racial discrimination earlier in the year after she allegedly verbally abused a UK police officer.
In March, Kerr was charged with racially aggravated harassment and pleaded not guilty to all charges including using insulting, threatening or abusive words that caused alarm or distress to a police officer in January 2023.
It was revealed the phrase the 30-year-old allegedly used was “stupid white bastard”.
The matter will be heard in a UK court in February.
RAYGUN
It was Australia’s most controversial Olympian that caused major waves around the world.
Rachel Gunn (aka Raygun) went viral after “bombing” her performance in Paris with claims she did not take her Olympic debut seriously.
The 37-year-old was the Australian representative for the first Olympics women’s breakdancing competition in Paris where she made “breaking” one of the most talked-about competitions at the 2024 Olympics.
Rumours and criticism of her performance spread like wildfire, particularly online with Gunn receiving a torrent of violent messages, and an anonymous petition demanding she apologise was signed by 50,000 people.
Despite claims Raygun did not take her Olympic debut seriously, she said she gave it her all.
“I went out there and I had fun, I did take it very seriously,” she said in an Instagram post.
After signing to an influencer management agency after the Olympics, Confidential has wondered about the advice she’s been receiving since the Games.
She appeared in a strange campaign for financial tech company, Finder, and made headlines for the wrong reasons when she called in the lawyers to shut down a comedy musical inspired by her moves.
TOM CRAIG OLYMPIC DRUG INCIDENT
Raygun wasn’t the only controversy among our Olympians, after Australian hockey player Tom Craig went looking for trouble at the Paris Games.
The Kookaburras striker was arrested by French police after they witnessed him attempting to purchase cocaine following his team’s quarterfinal defeat to eventual champions, the Netherlands.
The 29-year-old was released without being charged, having been issued with a warning in which he apologised and called it “a terrible mistake”.
After the arrest, Craig had his Olympic rights stripped from him, where he was banned from the athletes village and told he did not have the right to march in the closing ceremony.
Following his return to Australia, Craig was hit with a 12-month ban from the sport by Hockey Australia.
NINE SCANDAL
2024 uncovered a scandal that shocked not just the industry, after an independent report into culture at media company Nine Entertainment found a “a systemic issue with abuse of power and authority: Bullying, discrimination: and sexual harassment”.
The independent review was conducted after sexual harassment allegations surfaced against former Nine Entertainment news boss Darren Wick.
Wick denied the allegations but left Nine that same month following the investigation.
Conducted by Intersection, the review has made 22 recommendations, covering foundational to intermediate and advanced changes required to reset culture at Nine.
Based on 934 Nine-wide staff survey responses, as well as 122 face-to-face interviews and written submissions, the review included confronting testimonies about the toxic culture of the company, including a cover-up when complaints were made.
Since the claims, reporter Airlie Walsh is suing the Nine Network in the Federal Court after filing a human rights sexual discrimination complaint, which is believed to be over her treatment while pregnant, but it’s not suggested the claim is related to Wick.
Nine Entertainment is owner of a number of large media businesses including Channel 9, 2GB radio and the Sydney Morning Herald.
PETER COSTELLO RUN-IN WITH JOURNALIST
“You’ve just assaulted me,” were the words that came out of Liam Mendes, a journalist at The Australian, who was knocked to the ground after an angry Peter Costello allegedly shoved him.
Footage posted on The Australian’s website in June appeared to show Mendes approaching former Nine board chairman Costello before asking him questions about a sexual harassment scandal at the media company.
The footage appeared to show Costello walking towards Mendes, before the journalist fell backwards at Canberra airport.
Former Australian treasurer Costello resigned from his role after denying the reports he assaulted Mendes, claiming he instead fell while filming and tripped over an advertising placard.
The incident was not reported to the police.
JACENKO’s APOLOGY FOR BOOTCAMP
Influencer and PR queen Roxy Jacenko had to apologise in May to 7000 fans who bought entries to her Roxy’s Bootcamp promotion.
She revealed she had “lost control” of the giveaway and couldn’t promise to deliver all of the luxury prizes.
The entrepreneur launched the promotion on March 8, offering new customers of her Brand Bootcamp online business course the chance to win three epic prizes.
Up for grabs were a luxurious waterfront mansion in Sydney or $250,000 cash, a Birken bag, and a Rolex watch.
In a series of emotional videos shared to Instagram, the mother of two came clean on the situation and what it meant for her customers.
RICHARD WHITE AND LINDA ROGAN
It was the scandal that cost WiseTech $5.9 billion and counting after share prices plummeted.
Linda Rogan, a Sydney wellness entrepreneur, dominated headlines after WiseTech Global billionaire Richard White tried to bankrupt her in October.
Rogan took White to court in an attempt to have the bankruptcy proceedings thrown out, alleging in court documents it was an “abuse of process” and that he had wanted sex in exchange for money for her businesses. He has denied allegations of improper behaviour. The feud was over a $90,000 bill for luxury furniture Rogan allegedly purchased for a Vaucluse mansion the software billionaire had bought for her to live in.
She alleged she was evicted by his lawyer, Zena Nasser, who married White in secret, after she discovered the relationship. The marriage was revealed in the court proceedings.
The pair have since settled their dispute, and WiseTech suffered a significant plummet in market value.
JAMIE OLIVER WITHDRAWS BOOK AFTER CLAIMS OF INSENSITIVE ABORIGINAL CONTENT
TV chef Jamie Oliver withdrew his children’s book, Billy And The Epic Escape, in November after members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community highlighted concerns over its content being harmful.
The book, originally published in May, features an Indigenous Australian foster child who is kidnapped – a theme which caused distress in a community that suffered during the Stolen Generation.
The book also makes errors and mixes up different Indigenous languages.
Oliver said he was “devastated to have caused offence” and apologised.
REBEL WILSON FORCED TO REDACT MEMOIR
Aussie actor Rebel Wilson was forced to black out a chapter of her memoir Rebel Rising which contained disputed allegations about a fellow star.
In the book, Wilson, 44, made allegations about the conduct of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, 53, on the set of The Brothers Grimsby in 2016. He strenuously denied the claims.
After Cohen mounted a legal challenge, the memoir was published with the chapter blacked out in Australia and New Zealand in May.
It was also redacted in a number of other countries.
IMG PULLS OUT OF FASHION WEEK
The fashion industry was sent into shock after media company IMG pulled out of Australian Fashion Week after operating the event for almost 20 years.
The decision to pull out came as the internal team running the event was in turmoil in November.
Confidential revealed multiple staff members had made complaints to IMG’s HR department in recent months after ongoing issues with a high-profile IMG employee.
It is believed there were financial agreements made for some staff who left the company, while others were made redundant.
Hope isn’t lost for a return of Australian Fashion Week in 2025, with industry leaders working hard to ensure its survival with new organisers.
JON ADGEMIS PUBLIC HOSPITALITY COLLAPSE
Sydney pub baron Jon Adgemis’s hospitality business allegedly traded while insolvent for three years, with an administrator also claiming the former KPMG deal-maker pulled out $475,000, plus a further $9 million through a related entity, from the teetering business prior to its collapse. Adgemis has rejected these characterisations of the transactions, saying he did not derive any personal benefit from them.
Jon Adgemis’ Public group lost control of Alexandria’s Camelia Grove Hotel and four other venues after American private investor Muzinich & Co withdrew from a deal to refinance the company’s substantial debt.
Now, two of Adgemis’ lenders are at odds over the pub’s future, with literal battle lines drawn – by way of a fence – by one set of administrators before the NSW Supreme Court ordered its removal.
When his businesses went into administration in September, Adgemis owned both the Camelia Grove Hotel and the property next door, which housed its beer garden and bottle shop.
On the private front, Adgemis also split from fiance Megan MacKenzie.
NOMAD RESTAURANT NAZI SYMBOL
High profile Sydney restaurateur Alan Yazbek was dropped from Nomad Group after a Nazi symbol furore in October.
It came after Yazbek pleaded guilty in court to the charge of displaying a Nazi symbol after he was seen at a pro-Palestine rally holding a placard which took the Israeli flag, but replaced the Star of David with a blue swastika.
His sign read: “Stop Nazi Israel”.
Yazbek and his wife, Rebecca, co-founded Nomad Group, which runs high-end venues, Nomad Sydney, Nomad Melbourne, and Reine & La Rue in the same city.
ANDREW O’KEEFE
It’s been a great deal of scandal for disgraced former Channel 7 star Andrew O’Keefe.
O’Keefe, 52, has become a man seemingly intent on his own destruction since the collapse of his marriage to wife Eleanor Campbell in 2014, slipping deep into a downward spiral of ice and heroin addiction and court cases.
In September, O’Keefe lost an appeal against his conviction for a domestic violence assault dating back to 2021.
The former TV game show host also avoided further jail time after pleading guilty to breaching apprehended domestic violence restrictions and possessing crystal meth.
Appearing at Waverley Local Court in October, O’Keefe entered early guilty pleas to violating an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (AVO) in July and possession of a prohibited drug in September.
He was handed a 30-month community corrections order.
NRL STAR DRIVES OVER MAN’S FOOT AND TAKES HIS TOE OFF BY ACCIDENT
I’m sure it wasn’t on Sydney Roosters rising star Sandon Smith’s bingo card to accidentally take a man’s toe off this year.
The rookie halfback was behind the wheel of an Audi when he allegedly caused a bizarre crash in which a male pedestrian suffered a gruesome foot injury in March.
On October 17, Smith was charged with negligent driving causing grievous bodily harm at Downing Centre Local Court.
Smith pleaded guilty to the charge and received a two-year conditional release order without conviction, with a court hearing he was deeply remorseful and a magistrate describing his culpability as low.
DRINK-DRIVING COWBOY
Caught red handed, former NRL star James Maloney was sacked from his assistant coach job at the North Queensland Cowboys after being charged with drink driving.
Maloney copped a $300 fine after pleading guilty to drink driving in Townsville after the 38-year-old returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.08 when he was pulled over for a random breath test in Railway Estate on August 30.
Maloney, who joined the Cowboys coaching staff on a two-year contract in November last year, was swiftly dropped by the club after he was charged.
EX-AFL PLAYER’S WIFE BROTHEL SCANDAL
Ex-AFL player Ricky Olarenshaw’s estranged wife was caught up in a Bali brothel scandal.
The 1993 Essendon premiership player returned to Australia about 10 weeks before his ex-wife Nitha Olarenshaw was arrested in October following raids on Bali massage parlour Flame Spa took place.
Mr Olarenshaw has not been charged with any offences, nor is he accused of any wrongdoing.
Mrs Olarenshaw, however, is facing up to 12 years in jail if the claims are proven, for being listed as the owner of the Seminyak business police allege was offering sex services to tourists.
In November she lost a bid to be freed from jail after her lawyers claimed she was framed as the owner of Flame Spa, which she said was actually owned by four Australian men, including Mr Olarenshaw.
Olarenshaw allegedly “personally selected” the therapists working in the alleged Bali brothel, the court had heard.
Olarenshaw described the claims made against him as “false and inaccurate”.
BIANCA CENSORI
Australian model and architectural designer Bianca Censori has been in the spotlight all year.
Censori, who secretly married Kanye West in 2022 before the couple emerged as an item in 2023 around divorce rumours and a lawsuit.
Recently, a group of minors sued West over claims of a hostile work environment at his company, Yeezy, including allegations Censori showed them explicit content.
The pair are yet to respond.
In October, it was reported that the couple were headed for divorce after telling friends they split several weeks before Censori stood up to him regarding differences of opinion in their union.
However, the current state of their marriage remains unclear after the pair were spotted together in Tokyo again amid the divorce rumours.
WACKY WEDNESDAY CONTROVERSY
Young Greater Western Sydney player Josh Fahey was handed a four-week suspension, with five teammates copping shorter bans, as the AFL came down hard on their controversial post-season gathering at a local pub.
Thirteen GWS players were sanctioned after the Wacky Wednesday party, which had the theme of “controversial couples” – with many Giants dressing up in distasteful outfits and acting out offensive skits.
Fahey copped the heaviest ban, having dressed up as Jarryd Hayne, the former NRL star jailed in 2023 for sexual assault who had his conviction overturned earlier this year, and engaged in a skit with a blow-up doll.
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