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Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
From poster boy to pariah: How Andrew O'Keefe almost killed the White Ribbon cause - and its CURSE of celebrity ambassador endorsements
It's hard now to believe disgraced gameshow host Andrew O'Keefe was once a celebrated White Ribbon ambassador, at the forefront of its fight to end violence against women. He would often be photographed with the movement's emblem pinned to his jacket, and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2017 for his work with them, adding its distinctive stud to the same lapel. But by the time O'Keefe was first accused of assaulting a woman in 2021, he and White Ribbon had already parted ways, and it was revealed this week the shamed TV star had finally handed back his AM last month. With the 53-year-old's string of court cases over - his last appearance was in February - the onetime host of Deal or No Deal and The Chase Australia has given up wearing suits. It's been a long time since he needed a tuxedo. These days, O'Keefe can be spotted hanging around Sydney 's eastern suburbs in one of his lurid casual outfits, smoking a cigarette and doing little else. O'Keefe says he has once and for all been able to give up the drugs that fuelled his appalling conduct and even White Ribbon, which he once chaired, wishes him well. White Ribbon has also learned from its mistake using O'Keefe to push its message and has completely abandoned using celebrities as ambassadors, according to its CEO. 'White Ribbon Australia is no longer reliant on public figures or ambassadors,' Merinda March said. 'That model failed us, and more importantly, it failed the cause. Real change doesn't come from celebrity endorsement.' The notion that all publicity is good publicity clearly doesn't apply when you're trying to stop men being violent towards women. Among the entries on his rap sheet, O'Keefe was found guilty in January last year of a 'violent and degrading' assault on a woman he had called a 'lying dog' and a 'c***'. He was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and contravening an AVO, and placed on an 18-month community corrections order. In October, Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge sentenced O'Keefe to another 30-month community corrections order for breaching an AVO. O'Keefe had previously avoided convictions for assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in June 2021, when those charges were dealt with under mental health provisions of the law. He also faced six charges after he allegedly punched, kicked and choked another woman in January 2022, but by the time the matter was heard, the alleged victim had left the country. Having pleaded not guilty - claiming he acted in self-defence - charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and choking were withdrawn in February 2023. Back in 2014, when O'Keefe was host of Weekend Sunrise, he told the Daily Telegraph he was on a mission to change men's attitudes about violence towards women. O'Keefe particularly encouraged men not to speak in a way that denigrated the opposite sex and to challenge those who do. 'It's a really simple thing on paper to say, it's really hard to do in practice,' he said. 'But having done it myself, you get nothing but kudos from mates when you do.' O'Keefe's long prior association with White Ribbon was raised almost every time he was arrested and continued to do its reputation no good. But he was not the only man to cause the movement embarrassment after being made an ambassador, just its highest-profile bad choice. Ballarat man Jon Seccull, a former prison officer who had been a White Ribbon ambassador, was arrested in 2017 and charged with sexually abusing his wife between 2014 and 2015. He was found guilty in 2023 of three counts of rape and one of threatening behaviour and in 2024, was jailed for a minimum six years and 10 months. In 2015, psychiatrist and White Ribbon ambassador Tanveer Ahmed wrote a column for The Australian newspaper in which he blamed violence against women in part on 'male disempowerment'. By the time O'Keefe was first accused of assaulting a woman in 2021, he and White Ribbon had parted ways. He is pictured at the 2006 Logies with singer and actor Natalie Bassingthwaighte Ahmed, who wrote that discussion about domestic violence debate focused on 'male villainy… and a cult of victimhood', was not asked to stand down from his White Ribbon role but resigned voluntarily. Seven months later, NRL great and former White Ribbon Day ambassador Hazem El Masri was charged with assaulting his wife, but a year later was completely cleared. In 2018, former NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Nicholas Cowdery resigned as chair of the White Ribbon board after he made comments about baby killer Keli Lane's sex life on the ABC. Later that year, Luke Foley resigned as NSW Labor leader and was stripped of his White Ribbon ambassadorship after being accused of having put his hand down a female ABC journalist's underpants in 2016. Onetime federal MP and Australian Rules great Phil Cleary has campaigned to stop male violence against women since his sister Vicki was murdered in 1987 by an ex-partner. Cleary got to know O'Keefe through White Ribbon, and in January he told Daily Mail Australia the fallen presenter should return his AM if he really wanted to show remorse. On Monday, it was revealed O'Keefe had finally done exactly that, and Governor-General Sam Mostyn had accepted his resignation of the award with effect from June 4. The next day, White Ribbon Australia issued a press release reiterating its association with O'Keefe had ended in 2019 and stating it 'denounces, in the strongest possible terms, Mr O'Keefe's actions and violence against women'. White Ribbon Australia was established in 2007, went into voluntary liquidation in 2019 with debts of $840,000 and was resurrected under the stewardship of community services provider Communicare the following year. CEO Merinda March said White Ribbon's past association with O'Keefe and 'other former ambassadors whose actions have come under public scrutiny' had prompted a 'fundamental shift' in its approach to ending violence against women. 'Andrew O'Keefe's actions are deeply distressing to Australians who support our organisation's aims to end violence against women,' Ms March said. 'Mr O'Keefe was White Ribbon Australia's former chair, and a founding ambassador, and his appointment to these positions has been harmful to the values and reputation of our organisation.' Ms March said 'real change' had to come from 'everyday men - dads, brothers, mates, co-workers and the women who support and influence them'. Addressing the scourge of domestic violence in Australia would require 'having honest conversations, challenging harmful behaviours, and taking responsibility'. 'That is where the movement lives now, and that is where our focus must stay,' Ms March said. White Ribbon's press release ended by acknowledging the main victim of O'Keefe's offending and with a final note of hope for the future. It added: 'We also wish him well in his journey towards recovery and healing.'
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE How I shamed Andrew O'Keefe into doing the decent thing. Finally he's listened at last…but it can never erase what he's already done
A leading campaigner against domestic violence who called on Andrew O'Keefe to return his Order of Australia has welcomed the disgraced game show host's decision to hand back the honour. O'Keefe was convicted in January last year of assaulting a woman he called a 'lying dog' and a 'c***' during an attack described by a magistrate as 'degrading'. The former Deal or No Deal and The Chase Australia presenter then pleaded guilty in October to trespassing, possessing meth, and breaching a restraining order. O'Keefe was a founding member and chairman of White Ribbon Australia, an organisation dedicated to the prevention of violence against women. He was named in the 2017 Australia Day honours list as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). The only higher accolades in the system are Officer (AO) or Companion (AC) of the Order. Onetime federal MP and Australian Rules great Phil Cleary has campaigned to stop male violence against women since his sister Vicki was murdered in 1987 by an ex-partner. Mr Cleary got to know O'Keefe through White Ribbon and in January, he told Daily Mail Australia the fallen Weekend Sunrise presenter should return his AM if he wanted to show remorse. 'I think if he wanted to reclaim his standing, he probably should resign the position and then try to regain our trust,' Mr Cleary said. 'If I was speaking to Andrew, I would be saying the first thing you should be doing is coming out and apologising for what you've done. 'I believe in compassion and redemption but Andrew is in a position at the moment where he has damaged the campaign and he needs to apologise.' The Secretary of the Order of Australia has now announced on the Federal Register of Legislation that O'Keefe has acted in line with Mr Cleary's advice. A notice states the Governor-General, Sam Mostyn, has accepted O'Keefe's resignation as a Member of the Order of Australia with effect from June 4. Mr Cleary welcomed O'Keefe's decision to return his AM and described the move as 'significant'. 'It's important that he has done this,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'There are men everywhere who refuse to apologise and are feted by the "boys' club" in the face of allegations or convictions for violence against women. 'By handing back his AM, O'Keefe has set a standard for other men convicted of acts of violence or coercive behaviour towards a woman. 'I'm glad that he has done this.' The Council of the Order of Australia previously confirmed it had received complaints from members of the public about O'Keefe holding the honour. 'Issues have been raised over Mr O'Keefe's AM, therefore, in line with the process, they are under consideration,' a council spokesman said in October. O'Keefe's AM was in recognition of 'significant service to the broadcast media as a television presenter, and to social welfare and charitable organisations'. The 53-year-old, who has a long history of substance abuse, last faced court in February, after being warned by a magistrate another criminal conviction would result in him going to jail. He had flown back to Australia after a stint in drug rehab overseas to plead guilty to having driven with meth in his system more than six months earlier. Waverley Local Court heard O'Keefe had been the subject of a conditional release order for a previous drug-driving offence when he was arrested again on July 28, 2024. He was pulled over for random testing on Cranbrook Road in Rose Bay about 11.30am that day and recorded a positive result but was not charged until late November. The gap in time between the offence happening and O'Keefe being charged was because of delays in the crime lab. On February 7, O'Keefe was convicted and fined $440 for drug-driving and disqualified from getting behind the wheel for six months. Shortly before being pulled over on July 28, O'Keefe had confronted a man at a Point Piper property he was banned from attending. He was released on bail but arrested again at Rose Bay police station in September when police found crystal methamphetamine in his car during a search. Two days earlier O'Keefe had overdosed on heroin at a party and needed to be revived by paramedics. In October, Waverley Local Court magistrate Jacqueline Milledge sentenced O'Keefe to a 30-month community corrections order for breaching an apprehended violence order. He was also fined $1,000 for possessing a prohibited drug and $500 for trespassing, as well as being made the subject of a two-year AVO to protect a person who cannot be identified. Ms Milledge told O'Keefe he was facing time behind bars if he reoffended. 'I know domestic violence is a factor in your offending and that is awful, truly awful,' she said. 'You got into the grip of something awful and the wheels fell off.' At the time, O'Keefe's lawyer told Ms Milledge: 'This, Your Honour, is what we say is the final crossroads.' O'Keefe was found guilty in January last year of domestic violence offences over the September 2021 attack on a woman he had called a 'lying dog' and a 'c***'. He was convicted in Downing Centre Local Court of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault, contravening an AVO, and possessing prohibited drugs. Magistrate Alison Viney described O'Keefe kicking, spitting, scratching and otherwise assaulting the woman, who cannot be named, as a 'violent and degrading' assault. O'Keefe was ordered to serve 18 months on a community corrections order and fined $800 for the drug offences, which related to cannabis and the synthetic stimulant mephedrone. The drug convictions were later quashed but O'Keefe lost an appeal against the assault convictions in September. O'Keefe faced six charges after he allegedly punched, kicked and choked another woman in January 2022, but by the time the matter was heard the alleged victim had left the country. Having pleaded not guilty - claiming he acted in self-defence - charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and choking were withdrawn in February 2023 at Downing Centre Local Court. O'Keefe previously avoided convictions for assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in June 2021 when those charges were dealt with under mental health provisions of the law. Magistrate Ross Hudson heard O'Keefe suffered from bipolar disorder and was in a 'hypomanic' state when he spat at, slapped and kicked a woman in January 2021. There are precedents for Order of Australia recipients returning an honour voluntarily if they feel they no longer deserved the award. Former High Court judge Dyson Heydon handed over his AC in 2022 following a 2020 inquiry which found he had sexually harassed junior staff members. TV presenter and businessman Steve Vizard gave back his AM in 2008 after being fined $390,000 and banned from being a company director for insider trading. 'I did it because it is the right thing to do,' Vizard said at the time.
The Irish Sun
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Beat The Chasers future on ITV revealed after sixth series was delayed by TWO years
THE fate of Beat The Chasers has been revealed after the hit quizzing show's latest series was delayed by TWO years amid scheduling unrest at ITV. The programme, fronted by Bradley Walsh, was launched as a supersized spin-off of the early evening quizzing favourite. Advertisement 3 The future of Beat The Chasers has been confirmed 3 The quiz show will return for two more series Credit: ITV Now, it has been confirmed that despite the recent delays with the latest series, show bosses have been handed a further TWO series of Series seven is understood to currently be filming as well as an eighth series to be recorded this autumn. Transmission details are yet to be revealed but it is likely that ITV will air both series over the next two years. Series six of the programme began airing in January of this year despite being filmed in early spring 2023. Advertisement More on Beat The Chasers It came jam-packed with a slew of celebrity specials as does the regular version. In the primetime spin-off, contestants are tasked with taking on FIVE chasers all at once in a high-stakes round of quizzing. The amount of chasers they face determines how much money they play for. Every contestant must face at least two chasers in order to earn the money they have built by correctly answering questions in their solo cash builder round. Advertisement Most read in TV The chasers then make further offers for higher amounts of money and less time to answer all the questions if they agree to take on a greater number of the quizzing geniuses. In recently aired episodes, The Governess quizzer Anne Hegerty was Beat The Chasers shock as woman wins huge amount after errors Issa 'The Supernerd' Schultz stepped in for Anne back in 2023 when she stepped down from the show due to health reasons. Known to fans of The Chase Australia, Issa impressed viewers with his trivia prowess in the rerun episode. Advertisement Issa's accolades include eight victories at the Australian Quizzing Championships between 2011 and 2021, along with appearances on shows like The Rich List and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ? The Chase's best moments The Chase has been entertaining ITV viewers for years, here are some of the show's most memorable moments... Bradley Walsh can't stop laughing Every time host Bradley Walsh erupts into fits of laughter on The Chase it makes for pretty entertaining TV. One particularly memorable occasion was when he was asking the question 'The title of which Elvis Presley song was engraved of the inside of Freddie Star's coffin?" As usual the contestant was given four multiple choices but The Double Trouble special To celebrate 15 years of The Chase on screens, ITV launched a The contestants with famous names Eagle-eyed ITV fans are always quick to spot interesting and sometimes hidden details on the quiz show - but there have been a few times where the names of some contestants have been overtly obvious. For example, one 2017 episode of the quiz show saw Bradley welcome four contestants who were The Beast's anger gets the best of him During an episode from the 2024 season, 3 Bradley will be back to host the show Credit: ITV
Herald Sun
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Herald Sun
Peter Malinauskas on The Chase Australia
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News. Premier Peter Malinauskas has come up on a question for a popular Australia television game show, with a character admitting she was distracted by how good he 'looks in his swimsuit'. The question on the show, The Chase Australia, asked contestants, 'which Labor politician was elected State Premier First? The answers available for contestants were, former Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, Premier Peter Malinauskas, and New South Wales Premier, Chris Minns. The contestant answered correctly with former VIC Premier, Mr Andrews, but it was the Chaser, Cheryl Toh, who stole the moment, admitting that she got the answer wrong because she was thinking about Mr Malinauskas' looks. 'I had a bit of a brain fade there, thinking about how good Peter looks in his swimsuit,' she said. 'He's a really good looking fit guy and I got so distracted.' The moment drew laughs from all involved in the back-and-forth about Mr Malinauskas, who in 2022, was photographed at the North Adelaide Aquatic Centre shirtless. Host Larry Emdur responded to Ms Toh, reminding her what game show she worked on. 'You do now this is the Chase, not the Bachelor right,' he said. Ms Toh responded to the game show host, adding one more thing to say. 'Peter Malinauskas could go on the Bachelor if he wasn't already married,' she said. The Chase Australia is a game show which has been running since 2015, where contestants compete against the Chaser (Ms Toh), who is considered a 'quiz expert'. Originally published as 'Really good looking': Game show chaser Cheryl Toh has 'brain fade' moment over Premier Peter Malinauskas' question
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Beloved Channel Seven show 'facing the axe' amid ratings bloodbath
Rumours are swirling that a popular Channel Seven show is facing the axe amid dwindling ratings. The popular game show, The Chase Australia, is reported to be on the chopping block. According to News Corp, a search is 'said to be underway' to find a replacement for the program, which has been running on Seven since 2015. The reason for the shifting attitudes towards the Larry Emdur-hosted game show is apparently lacklustre ratings that have failed to win its 5pm time slot. The long-running series has been consistently bested by Channel Nine game show rival Tipping Point, hosted by Todd Woodbridge which airs at the same time. A look at this week's TV ratings shows The Chase behind Tipping Point each day, albeit by a relatively small margin. Thursday's episode of The Chase attracted 1,315,000 viewers, while Tipping Point gained 188,000 more fans at 1,503,000. It was a similar story for the rest of the week, with The Chase experiencing its best ratings day on Monday at 1,476,000 - still 58,000 viewers behind Tipping Point. The publication claimed that the ratings results are causing 'panic' in the upper echelons at Seven, with the decision to axe or not to axe falling to Angus Ross - Seven's recently appointed Group Managing Director of Television. However, the claims come after Seven recently rubbished a claim by News Corp that the network were looking to replace Larry as host of The Chase in a bid to 'revive' the show. 'The Chase doesn't need reviving. It remains very competitive in its timeslot, delivering a big audience night in, night out,' a Seven spokesperson told the publication in April. 'We are about to launch a new push for the show, offering the biggest cash prize in its history. 'Larry will absolutely continue to host The Chase. To suggest otherwise is nonsense and deliberately misleading.' Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Channel Seven for comment. The rumours come as affable host Larry Emdur took to social media this week, sharing a cheeky post in which claimed an elderly woman had offered to pay him $10 to drop his pants. The alleged incident took place in a public park while the 59-year-old Channel Seven star was taking a morning walk. Larry said that the stranger had offered to pay him the money so she could see his 'a***' which is tattooed with the initials of last year's Gold Logie nominees. The fan favourite, who is notorious for sending up his fame on social media, had his bottom inked live on The Morning Show the day after taking home the coveted TV prize. In the clip, Larry can be seen telling his followers that he scared off the woman - only to reveal that he is holding a $10 note in his hand. 'Good morning. The creepiest thing just happened to me [while] I was having my morning walk,' he said in the Instagram post. He continued: 'A lady was walking towards me and she about 75-80 years old and she saw me - this is the weird life of someone on TV. 'And she turned around and said to me, ''I'll give you $10 to show me the tattoo of the Gold Logie on your a***." And I said what? Larry then explained that the woman repeated her request. 'And I said, ''You're crazy'' - you want me to drop my pants in a public park for $10? 'Anyway, I must have scared her off because she ran off in that direction,' Larry said waving a $10 note. Larry's followers quickly showed their enthusiastic approval for his joke post. 'Thank goodness you took the money!!' one fan messaged. 'This is GOLD,' added another, while a third follower simply gushed, 'Totally hilarious as always.' Larry made headlines last August after securing his first ever Logie Awards on when he took home a Silver and secured the Gold at the 2024 ceremony at the Star in Sydney. And the next day he was forced to make good on a bizarre promise he made the week before, stripping off his pants on live breakfast TV and getting a tattoo on his backside.
