What do you say about grown men, having it out (one shirtless) in a public park during school holidays?
Embarrassing? Dumbfounding? Gross?
Now, add to that the fact that these men are two of the highest profile, highest paid Australian celebrities.
The mind boggles from the entitlement of it all.
Host of the Today Show and Nine veteran reporter, Karl Stefanovic allegedly faced off against former Australian cricket captain, Michael Clarke in Noosa on January 10th with Clarke’s girlfriend, Jade Yarborough (the sister of Stefanovic’s wife, Jasmine) also involved.
So confronting was the spectacle– caught on camera by a bystander– that someone had to yell: “there’s children over there” and encouraged the group to take the fight elsewhere, reports The Daily Telegraph.
The bystander said he started filming the altercation after spotting Clarke and Stefanovic in a heated stoush moments prior.
Clarke can be seen limping around the park, surrounded by baffled holiday-goers trying to calm him, before a furious Yarborough screams and slaps him.
“You f***** her on December 17 … You f***** her, you’re a f****** dog,” she unleashes.
(This refers to apparent cheating allegations levelled at Clarke).
Denying the claims, Clarke’s heard pleading with his girlfriend: “Baby, you’re wrong, you’re wrong”.
“I swear. On my daughter’s life,” he unforgivably adds.
…Honestly, a soapie writer couldn’t weave together a better yarn. It’s one for the ages.
But on a less light-hearted note, this kind of conduct is a prime example of how men with high-profile in Australia are often afforded the ultimate free pass; they’re able to say and do whatever they like with minimal consequences.
Both of these men for instance, have been caught up in multiple public furores but pulled through unscathed.
Only last year for instance, Stefanovic was embroiled in allegations that he touched a waiter at a charity event in Brisbane.
Or in 2018, he was publicly caught mouthing off about his co-host Georgie Gardner in an Uber with brother, Peter.
Michael Clarke has been no stranger to unwanted limelight either. From fights with teammates to public relationship breakdowns, his legacy will unlikely be one about cricket only.
Aside from (possible) personal humiliation, what’s the fallout for this kind of behaviour, however? A few headlines? Maybe some behind the scenes chastising? There’s certainly been no reported impact to their employment or earnings.
So, why would they change? They likely think we appreciate their “realness”.
But when thousands of hardworking Australians are struggling to find meaningful employment right now it truly does beg the question: Why are we rewarding blokes who clearly don’t give a toss?
As the employer of both Clarke and Stefanovic, I’ll leave that with Nine to address.