“Saltburn” star Jacob Elordi is reportedly at the center of an Australian police investigation for allegedly assaulting a radio producer over the weekend.
Joshua Fox, digital producer of the Australian breakfast show “The Kyle & Jackie O Show,” alleged that on Saturday the actor pinned him against a wall and put his hands on his throat.
On a Sunday episode of the radio show, Fox said he approached the actor outside a beer garden at the Clovelly Hotel, filming his joking request that the 26-year-old star fill a container with his bath water. The prank was inspired by a graphic scene from Emerald Fennell's “Saltburn”; After Elordi's character takes a bath, Barry Keoghan's character drinks the leftover water (and bodily fluids).
“So I walk up to him with the Tupperware in one hand and my phone in the other, so it's clear that I'm recording,” Fox explained, adding that the actor asked him to stop filming the interaction.
Fox told colleagues that the “Priscilla” actor approached him (“I could have kissed him, he was so close”) and urged him to delete the video. Elordi also allegedly asked Fox to delete the clip from the “recently deleted” files on his phone, but he refused.
“I'm thinking, 'If I delete this footage, there will be no evidence that this encounter ever happened,'” Fox said. “Jacob just turns around and pushes me against the wall…his hands are on my throat.”
Fox said one of the two men accompanying Elordi on Saturday pulled the actor out. The other man, Fox said, followed him and urged him to remain silent about the incident.
The alleged assault comes amid a particularly exciting time for Elordi, who made his hosting debut on “Saturday Night Live” last month and received critical praise for his performances in “Saltburn” and Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla.” . The Brisbane-born actor rose to popularity as the controlling and manipulative Nate Jacobs on HBO's “Euphoria.”
A representative for Elordi did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment on Monday.
New South Wales Police did not confirm that the actor was involved in the alleged incident, but told Variety they have launched an investigation into the confrontation.
“Officers attached to Eastern Beaches Police Area Command are investigating after a man was allegedly assaulted outside a hotel in Sydney's eastern suburbs,” police said in a statement. “At around 3.30pm on Saturday 3 February 2024, police were informed that a 32-year-old man had allegedly been assaulted by a 26-year-old man. The man did not suffer any injuries. “Investigations into the incident continue.”
Fox said Sunday that the alleged assault left him shaken and that he hasn't “slept for two days stressed about this.” He also clarified that he did not file a police report and that he has no intention of pressing charges. It is unclear how police found out about the incident, but the morning show team cited video evidence from the hotel's CCTV.
“I have said my part now. The story is out there. Let's move on,” Fox said. “Jacob, do your thing… next time someone talks to you on the street don't grab them, supposedly.”
In an Instagram Story shared on Sunday, Fox urged her followers to listen to Sunday's episode.
Fox wrote: “Hello, thanks for the kind messages. “I will not discuss or comment on the Jacob Elordi incident beyond what I said on air this morning.”
