Pictures of Married At First Sight’s Steve Burley posing as Adolf Hitler and mocking Asian features were leaked on Wednesday.
The shocking images were first shared to a group chat with his co-stars, and the 51-year-old has a ‘rough idea’ who exposed him.
Speaking to Hit FM’s Krysti and Bodge on Thursday, Steve revealed the pictures were leaked by somebody very ‘close’ to him on the show.
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Shocking: Steve Burley (pictured) has claimed he knows which of his Married At First Sight co-stars leaked THOSE photos of him posing as Adolf Hitler and mocking Asian features
‘It was (from) the group chat from the show,’ Steve said.
‘So someone has leaked it. Do you know who it was?’ radio host Jason ‘Bodge’ Bodger curiously asked the reality TV star.
‘I’ve got a rough idea, but I’m not going to comment on that,’ Steve replied, sounding quite confident.
Scandal: Pictures of the reality TV groom posing as Adolf Hitler and mocking Asian features were leaked on Wednesday – which he has since apologised for and admitted regret over
‘It was (from) the group chat from the show’: The shocking images were first shared to a private group chat with his co-stars, and the 51-year-old says he has a ‘rough idea’ who exposed him to the public
However, radio host Krysti Dixon decided to press further for intel, asking: ‘Were you close to them in the experiment?’
‘Yes,’ Steve said, choosing not to elaborate further.
While it was initially easy to assume self-proclaimed ‘pot stirrer’ Michael Goonan shared the shocking pictures, he and Steve have clashed on the show and never appeared ‘close’ on-screen.
Despite their frequent feuds as a ‘married’ couple, Steve has repeatedly detailed how ‘close’ he felt to Mishel Karen.
Was it him? While it was initially easy to assume self-proclaimed ‘pot stirrer’ Michael Goonan (pictured left) could have shared the shocking pictures, he and Steve have clashed on the show and never appeared ‘close’ on-screen
Who did it? Another scandalous image saw Steve in a black T-shirt and cap, pulling his eyelids outward to look ‘like an Asian Mishel’. Pictured: Steve and TV ‘wife’ Mishel
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Steve, Michael and Mishel for comment.
The controversial pictures were originally obtained and published by The Daily Telegraph’s Confidential on Wednesday, with the images showing Steve appearing to mimic Adolf Hitler with his hair forward and a drawn-on toothbrush moustache.
Another scandalous image saw Steve in a black T-shirt and cap, pulling his eyelids outward to look ‘like an Asian Mishel’.
While Steve initially declined to comment on the photos when approached by the publication, Channel Nine sent a response on his behalf.
‘This is a private message that was never intended to be made public, but I can see that it is culturally insensitive and I regret it,’ the statement read.
He added: ‘I am deeply sorry if I have offended anyone.’
‘I am deeply sorry if I have offended anyone’: While Steve initially declined to comment on the photos, Channel Nine sent a response on his behalf
Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission Dr Dvir Abramovich, who heads Australia’s leading civil rights organisation has also issued a statement surrounding Steve’s pictures.
‘This is beyond insensitive and tasteless, and Steve Burley should do some serious soul searching about this deplorable actions,’ Dr. Dvir said.
He added: ‘I should not have to say this in 2020, but there is nothing entertaining or laughable about Hitler, a monster responsible for the murder of six million Jews and millions of others.
‘Perhaps Steve should talk to those survivors who lost children, parents and relatives to Hitler’s evil regime. A brutal dictator, responsible for the extermination of so many, should not be the subject of a joke, private or not.’
Dr. Dvir went on to explain there was a ‘surge’ of the white supremacist movement currently occurring around the nation.
‘One can only imagine the pain and moral offense a Holocaust survivor would feel hearing about this incident. At a time of a surge in neo-Nazi and white-supremacist activity in Australia, it is deeply troubling that there are people who think it’s cool to imitate Hitler.
‘Worse, such gags separate Hitler from the inhuman crimes he and the Nazis committed. I call on Steve Burley to personally apologise for his hurtful conduct and to visit the Holocaust Museum.’
‘This is beyond insensitive and tasteless’: Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission Dr Dvir Abramovich, who heads Australia’s leading civil rights organisation, has also issued a statement on Steve’s pictures and has called on the star to ‘personally apologise for his hurtful conduct and to visit the Holocaust Museum’