Disgraced Pete Evans has finally admitted to TV’s worst-kept secret: that he was meant to appear on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
The former celebrity chef let the cat out of the bag during an interview with YouTube life coach Mark Waite in which he discussed his recent career implosion.
Pete, 47, was infamously dropped by a slew of brands and sponsors in November after he shared a neo-Nazi meme on Facebook.
The secret’s out: Pete Evans, 47, has finally confirms he was set to join I’m a Celebrity before being dumped for his neo-Nazi meme scandal – after both he and Channel 10 denied the reports
It was widely reported Pete had also been dropped from the cast of I’m a Celebrity, after he’d already commenced his mandatory pre-show quarantine in northern NSW.
While Channel 10 has avoided confirming Pete was ever locked in for the show, the former MKR judge has now all but confirmed the rumours.
‘I was meant to be doing something for three weeks which was going to take me away from being with my wife,’ he said in the interview with Mr Waite.
The truth: ‘I was meant to be doing something for three weeks which was going to take me away from being with my wife,’ he told YouTuber Mark Waite
While Pete didn’t reveal details of the ‘three-week event’, he was clearly referring to the filming schedule for I’m a Celebrity, which took place over three weeks in November.
‘And as soon as this [the neo-Nazi meme scandal] happened, I called [my wife Nicola] up and said, “Hey, listen. That’s not happening.” And she goes, “Do you want to go to yoga?” And I said, “Yeah, that sounds like a great thing,”‘ he recalled.
Indeed, Pete was pictured arriving at home after a yoga class early in the morning on the same day he was reportedly axed from I’m a Celebrity.
‘When I was at that yoga class – and in the last 10 minutes we were doing savasana, which is where you lie down and you meditate at the end of the class – I just had this knowing in my body that this is exactly where you’re meant to be,’ he continued.
‘I don’t think it’s really his thing, is it?’ I’m a Celebrity host Julia Morris (right) told Mamamia in December she had no knowledge of Pete ever being approached to join the cast. Pictured with co-host Dr Chris Brown
‘This is exactly everything that should have happened,’ he concluded.
Pete’s confession comes weeks after he played coy when asked by photographers how he felt about being axed from the cast I’m a Celebrity.
‘Oh! I don’t even know what you’re talking about!’ he laughed hysterically, as he stood barefoot outside his sprawling rural property.
Dropped: In November, it was widely reported Pete had been dropped from the top-secret cast of I’m a Celebrity, after he’d already commenced his mandatory pre-show quarantine in northern NSW. Pictured: I’m a Celebrity hosts Dr Chris Brown and Julia Morris
Channel 10 has avoided the question of whether Pete was ever offered a contract.
On Friday, the show’s executive producer Alex Mavroidakis told the TV Reload podcast there was ‘absolutely zero confirmation Pete Evans was ever anything to do with I’m a Celebrity’.
Similarly, co-host Julia Morris told Mamamia in December she had no knowledge of Pete ever being approached to join the cast.
Spectacular downfall: Pete has faced significant backlash since sharing the neo-Nazi meme on Facebook late last year
‘I don’t think it’s really his thing, is it?’ she said, laughing off reports the anti-vaxxer had been replaced at the eleventh hour by his former My Kitchen Rules co-star Colin Fassnidge.
‘As if that guy, who goes on about not relying on the mainstream media, would go into the jungle. That seems like an incredibly odd choice, don’t you think?
‘Let’s put it this way… he wasn’t missed. If he was going in, he wasn’t missed.’
Shameful: He posted this cartoon of a caterpillar wearing a MAGA cap and a butterfly with the neo-Nazi Black Sun emblem on its wing – with the suggestion being that neo-Nazism is the natural evolution for Donald Trump supporters
Pete has faced significant backlash since sharing the neo-Nazi meme on Facebook last year.
The post was a cartoon of a caterpillar wearing a MAGA cap and a butterfly with the neo-Nazi Black Sun emblem on its wing – with the suggestion being that neo-Nazism is the natural evolution for Donald Trump supporters.
Pete is an enthusiastic supporter of the president and advocates the baseless claim that Joe Biden only won the 2020 election due to voter fraud.
Outspoken: Pete is an enthusiastic supporter of the president and advocates the baseless claim that Joe Biden only won the 2020 election due to voter fraud
The Black Sun symbol became infamous after it was introduced by top-ranking Nazi Heinrich Himmler during World War II. The symbol has since been adopted by numerous neo-Nazi groups, and by Christchurch mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant.
Pete seemingly confirmed he was aware of the meaning of the symbol when a fan stated they recognised it, and Pete replied: ‘I was waiting for someone to see that.’
He later deleted the post and replaced it with an image of a rainbow heart alongside a sarcastic non-apology in which he claimed he would be ‘studying all of the symbols that have ever existed’ to make sure he doesn’t offend anyone again.
‘Sincere apologies to anyone who misinterpreted a previous post of a caterpillar and a butterfly having a chat over a drink and perceived that I was promoting hatred,’ he wrote.
‘I look forward to studying all of the symbols that have ever existed and research them thoroughly before posting. Hopefully this symbol❤️ resonates deeply into the hearts of ALL! ❤️’
Remorseful: He later deleted the post and replaced it with an image of a rainbow heart alongside a sarcastic non-apology in which he claimed he would be ‘studying all of the symbols that have ever existed’ to make sure he doesn’t offend anyone again