Six influencers debated politics. It all went well – until the cameras stopped rolling

American reality star and convicted felon Joe Exotic, known as the “Tiger King”, has endorsed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the most extreme example of an online influencer capitalising on the federal election to chase online clout.

Exotic’s post on Wednesday was just the latest in a long string of interventions from influencers including Abbie Chatfield and Ethan Marrell – known as Ozzy Man Reviews – who made their start outside politics but have leapt on the spectacle of the election to support policies or garner views.

Greens leader Adam Bandt and influencers Abbie Chatfield (centre) and Holly MacAlpine, pose for photos with toothbrushes symbolising the minor party’s plan to put dental care in Medicare.Credit: Dan Peled

Trisha Jha, a policy analyst at the Centre for Independent Studies, said Australia’s political class had finally decided to engage seriously with new media, including YouTubers, TikTokers and podcasters at this election.

“There’s a couple of risks, one that new media is not really regulated,” Jha said. “Traditional media is subject to the Australian Communications and Media Authority or the press clubs.

“It’s not perfect [but] … there’s a whole set of professional conduct or rules that apply to traditional media which does not exist with new media.”

On Monday night, SBS The Feed published a 40-minute YouTube video of six content creators debating key topics of the upcoming federal election.

The debate included a “left-leaning” side with Chatfield, an influencer who came to fame via a reality TV dating show but parlayed that into fame as a cultural commentator; Hannah Ferguson, who posts on Instagram and other platforms under the Cheek Media brand, and former teacher turned politics content creator Punters’ Politics, also known as Konrad Benjamin.

On the “right-leaning” side was the head of conservative campaign group Turning Point Australia, Joel Jammal; Freya Leach, a former Liberal candidate now at the conservative Menzies Institute, and Jha, who is the only one without TikTok, Instagram or YouTube. She instead reaches people through X. The others have a combined 1.2 million followers on Instagram alone.

The debate between the six content creators was civil and spanned immigration, housing and climate change. But they started trading barbs once the cameras were finished rolling.

Leach said on TikTok afterwards: “Punters [Politics] is a one-trick pony, Hannah is not as smart as I thought and Abbie had no idea what she was talking about”.

Chatfield responded with her own video describing Leach as “mean” and Punters’ Politics laughed off the insult, posting a clip joking he was a two-trick pony as he twirled a pen on his finger.

It is not the first outburst of conflict to come from influencers this election. Teal independent Allegra Spender revealed earlier in the election that her campaign had paid for an agency to organise influencers to post favourably about her, sparking anger from Liberals.

“The so-called ‘independents’ campaigned on integrity — now they’re handing out cash to influencers in secret and dodging questions when caught out,” Coalition spokesman James Paterson told Sky News.

And the ABC revealed that a company associated with satirical news site Betoota Advocate, whose pseudonymous editors Clancy Overell and Errol Parker have become influencers in their own right, was contracted to run Labor’s podcast strategy, raising concerns about bias.

But influencers have long been applying the strategy of taking money in exchange for promoting products, with the going rate determined by their following and how much their supporters trust their recommendations.

This is just the first election that it has been applied to politics. And the tension has not stopped mainstream media organisations from working with influencers. Network 10’s election night panel, for example, will include Parker and Overell.

The Greens have hosted a series of parties around the country with influencers, including Chatfield, as the minor party seeks to woo younger voters who may be disconnected from mainstream media.

Last week, Chatfield hosted “Vote 2.0” in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, a Greens event featuring a DJ set from party leader Adam Bandt and appearances from local Greens MPs Max Chandler-Mather and Elizabeth Watson-Brown.

Some attendees at the Greens influencer party in Brisbane screamed like they were seeing a chart-topping artist. Instead, they got Adam Bandt.Credit: Dan Peled

Hundreds were in attendance, as well as other influencers such as reality TV contestant Holly MacAlpine, her content creator partner Jake O’Brien and Sunshine Coast personality Cassie Fenton.

Despite the rain, attendees – most in their 20s – crammed under the marquees outside local venue The Brightside in anticipation.

When the party members took to the stage around 9pm to act out a game of policy charades – some with giant toothbrushes symbolising the Greens’ plan to put dental health in Medicare – each was met with resounding chants. Some looked about to burst into tears of joy. Others screamed like they were seeing a chart-topping artist.

MacAlpine said US President Donald Trump’s re-election had prompted her to shift her content from fashion to politics.

“I’ve always been me online, I’ve always posted exactly what I’ve felt like posting, and I truly believe the majority of young people feel represented with the Greens,” MacAlpine said. “So I don’t feel like I’m alienating people.”

‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic endorses Anthony Albanese during the 2025 federal election campaign with an AI image.Credit: Joe Exotic / Instagram

But some influencers’ support is not desirable. On Wednesday, Albanese was asked whether the Tiger King was paid to post the endorsement that read “Albanese for Prime Minister Australia” with an AI-generated image of the pair.

“He’s in jail … I wasn’t even aware of [the post],” Albanese said. The Labor Party later confirmed it had no role in the post or any contact with Exotic, despite the felon claiming otherwise.

The post was likely prompted by Exotic featuring on Australian radio station 2Day FM this week, where the hosts asked him to endorse Albanese as a stunt.

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