‘I stormed out’: Fresh details of ‘nasty’ fallout from Andrew Johns-Erin Molan feud
More details have emerged about the ugly fallout from the feud between Andrew Johns and Erin Molan, which turned “very nasty”.
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Fresh details have emerged of the bitter fallout from the Erin Molan-Andrew Johns feud, with one rugby league media veteran revealing the saga turned “very nasty” and cost him a friendship.
In 2019, Daily Telegraph scribe Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield reported Johns was refusing to work with Molan, the lead presenter on Channel 9’s rugby league coverage at the time.
Molan took over hosting duties on Friday nights in 2019 after the NRL Footy Show was axed in 2018.
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The revamped commentary panel for 2019 included Newcastle Knights legend Johns who had been an integral part as an analyst and commentator, but his seat was taken by Melbourne Storm great Billy Slater midway through the season with no formal announcement from the network.
Molan was in 2019 quietly shifted away from Channel 9’s Friday Night NRL coverage team – while Johns remained in his role as lead analyst – when it reached a point that the pair were unable to work alongside each other.
Johns also left the Sunday Footy Show before returning in 2021 after Molan departed Channel 9.
Rothfield reported Johns’ disappeared from the coverage because of a personality clash with Molan, who he refused to work with.
Now Rothfield has revealed the fallout from writing that report cost him his friendship with Darryl ‘Big Marn’ Brohman, the popular former Footy Show panellist and member of 2GB’s longrunning Saturday NRL program The Continuous Call.
Rothfield’ relationship with Brohman ended after an exchange about the Molan-Johns situation that prompted Rothfield to storm out of the 2GB studios.
“It came to my attention that there was a big problem at Channel 9 in that Erin Molan was becoming the hosting face … but there was a problem there where Joey (Johns) point blank wouldn’t work with her,” Rothfield told the Off The Record podcast with Buzz and Webby.
“I was of the opinion that was a pretty ordinary thing to do. I thought Channel 9 was soft - their management was - for allowing this to happen.
“I have the greatest respect for Joey as a commentator but it is not up to him to do the roster for who appears on what show.
“Anyway, I wrote the story because I wanted to expose what was happening in Channel 9.”
It’s safe to say Rothfield’s story didn’t go down well with Brohman.
“I go in (to 2GB studios) on Saturday to do the Continuous Call - Erin is there, Brohman is there, Mark Levy is there,” Rothfield recalled.
Watch Phil Rothfield dissect the feud in the video above
“We walked into the studios and everything is sweet. Darryl Brohman talked to me as I put the headset on during the news and he said why the f*** would you do that to Erin and write that story.
“I said I beg your pardon. He said it was a low act and I was really, really worried we were going to have a blue on air.
“I don’t mind being challenged on my stories but he had the opportunity when we were outside when we were having lunch to raise it.
“So anyway, I just took the headset off and stormed out. Never went back on air.”
More than five years on from the saga, Rothfield and Brohman are still at odds.
“What was quite sad about it was Darryl lives in the (Sutherland) Shire and he was in the coffee club I was in,” Rothfield said.
“We haven’t had a coffee since. He just doesn’t turn up any more. We have both gone our separate ways. Unfortunate but I stand by the story.
“(I) Haven’t spoken to the great Daryl since and I haven’t been invited back on 2GB since.”
Last year Molan discussed the situation on her 2DayFM radio show, saying “I feel sick now” — she said she still doesn’t understand why Johns gave her the cold shoulder.
“It upsets me a lot because I never understood why,” Molan said.
“And I reached out a few times over the years to try and talk or ask why, and if there was a reason I could think of I would understand. But I guess not everyone is going to like you.”
It has previously been reported, but never confirmed, Johns’ dislike of Molan dates back to 2017 when she replaced Paul “Fatty” Vautin as host of The Footy Show.
Molan said she did her job at Channel 9 for almost eight years knowing Johns openly didn’t like her.
“We got along really well at the start, for like the first year or two, and then something changed and I can genuinely say that I’ve never had any issue with him, but for whatever reason he just stopped liking me or communicating with me,” she said.
“That’s his right and whatever else, but it just made things hard.
“We worked another eight years together after he stopped talking to me. He wouldn’t talk to me at all off-air.”
She said she continued to make attempts to reach an understanding with Johns, but her peace offerings were never entertained.
“Off air I would try and make conversation but in the end you stop because it’s in front of other people,” she said.
“I’ve tried a few times over the years,” she said.
“We were once in a room together at the Footy Show and I said, ‘Have I done something? What can I do to fix this?’ And for some reason he just doesn’t want that relationship with me, which is his right.”
“There was no-one else there that I didn’t get along with. Every other player and every other commentator I would say would be a good friend of mine and had really great relationships with.
“It just made me really sad because I just would have loved … he’s obviously a legend of the game, he’s an immortal, and as I said at the start, he was lovely and great. And then I obviously did something without knowing and then that turned that. I tried to make efforts, but he obviously didn’t want to and that’s his choice.”
James Bracey and Danika Mason have since taken over from Molan as the leading hosts on Nine’s NRL coverage.
Molan is now a news host for Elon Musk’s X after the Hughesy, Ed and Erin show on 2DayFM ended in August 2024 after four years.
Listen to Off The Record with Buzz and Webby on Spotify, Apple podcasts, YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcasts
Originally published as ‘I stormed out’: Fresh details of ‘nasty’ fallout from Andrew Johns-Erin Molan feud
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