Pete Evans: Chef apologies for neo-Nazi meme as he’s dumped from I’m a Celeb

Disgraced celebrity chef Pete Evans has broken his silence after he was sensationally dumped from I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! at the eleventh hour for posting a neo-Nazi meme to Facebook over the weekend.

The former My Kitchen Rules judge, 47, laughed off his latest scandal outside his farm in northern NSW on Tuesday morning, offering a half-hearted apology to those offended by his racist social media post.

Barefoot Evans – whose career has plunged to new depths after being shunned by Channel 10, his publisher Pan Macmillan and retailers Big W and Dymocks in the space of 24 hours – grinned widely as he told Daily Mail Australia: ‘I apologise to anyone who might have taken it out of context.’ 

‘I promise you, whatever anybody is saying, that is not who I am,’ Evans insisted, before bursting into a fit of chuckles. 

‘And once again, deepest apologies to anyone who might have taken offence to that comment, or the image that I shared, because it was never meant to be taken in that way,’ he added. 

When asked how he felt about being axed from I’m a Celebrity, Pete once again laughed hysterically, saying: ‘Oh! I don’t even know what you’re talking about!’ 

He threw up a peace sign for the camera and walked away, still cackling to himself.

Evans was dropped by Channel 10 after he’d already commenced his mandatory pre-show quarantine near where I’m a Celebrity is being filmed in northern NSW.

Once he got the call he’d been axed at 6:30am, he packed his bags and returned to his farm, which is just a short drive from the set. 

The anti-vaxxer wore black shorts and a dark blue T-shirt emblazoned with the words ‘Fresh and Local’.

At times, he covered his head with a baseball cap bearing the slogan:  ‘The worst day fishing is better than the best day working.’ 

Evans was later spotted going about his daily chores, carrying cardboard boxes to a recycling bin at the edge of his remote property.

One box was emblazoned with the logo of an American multi-level marketing company that sells essential oils. 

Another box appeared to have once contained bottled spring water. 

Pete carefully unfurled the boxes and placed them inside, before pushing the wheelie bin further down the road.  

Evans was set to join the cast of I’m a Celebrity – which begins filming this week – but the network pulled the plug overnight in response to his latest controversy.

‘Network 10 can confirm that Pete Evans will not be appearing on this season of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.

According to former Channel 10 executive Rob McKnight, Evans was left ‘furious’ by the decision.

‘This morning at 6:30am the call came through from Beverley McGarvey [Channel 10’s chief content officer] to the production house and she said, “He’s out, don’t let him go into the jungle,”‘ McKnight told Nova FM’s Fitzy & Wippa.   

‘He is now packing his bags and returning to Byron Bay, which isn’t a big drive from where they shoot I’m a Celebrity, and he is apparently furious,’ he added.

McKnight went on to say that Evans was ‘100 per cent’ going into the jungle before he was abruptly fired early on Tuesday. 

‘Executives at Channel 10 have done the right thing this morning. I think his TV career is done and dusted, no one will touch him. The neo-Nazi stuff is a bit too far,’ McKnight said. 

Meanwhile, entertainment reporter Peter Ford tweeted on Tuesday that Evans was still being ‘paid in full’ despite being dropped from the line-up. 

‘Yes, paid in full. About $200,000. Had he done the show and got to the end he would have made even more,’ Ford wrote. 

Evens has faced significant backlash for sharing a neo-Nazi meme on Facebook on Sunday.

The post was a cartoon of a caterpillar wearing a MAGA cap and a butterfly with the racist 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.

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.

Evans 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 on Monday afternoon 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! ❤️’ 

Days before Evans’ involvement was confirmed, I’m a Celebrity host Julia Morris said she would be ‘very cross’ if Channel 10 did not approach him to appear on the show. 

‘Surely at a minimum there’s been a conversation,’ she said on Nova FM’s Fitzy and Wippa last week. 

Meanwhile, Pete was dropped by his publisher Pan Macmillan Australia on Monday in response to the outrage over his neo-Nazi Facebook meme.

The publisher of several of his books was quick to distance itself from Evans, and declared his Easy Keto cookbook, released last year, would be its last. 

‘Pan Macmillan does not support the recent posts made by Pete Evans. Those views are not our views as a company or the views of our staff,’ a representative said.

‘Pan Macmillan is currently finalising it’s contractual relationship with Pete Evans and as such will not be entering any further publishing agreements moving forward.

‘If any retailer wishes to return Pete Evans’ books please contact Pan Macmillan.’

Bookstore chain Dymocks confirmed on Monday evening that it was ‘in the process of removing [Evans’] books from our website and have advised our stores to return their stock as offered by the publisher’.  

Woolworths has also distanced itself from Evans, removing his books from shelves at Big W, according to The Daily Telegraph.  

‘We appreciate the recent community concern over comments made by Pete Evans,’ Big W’s spokesperson told the publication on Tuesday. 

‘Big W has taken the decision to remove his books from sale. As always, we encourage our customers to follow the expert medical advice from health authorities.’