Peter Stefanovic ‘regrets’ ruining a teenage fishing champion’s big moment in a TV interview about a train wreck and has apologized on live TV after public backlash.
“Apologies from me, last Wednesday we invited Keegan Payne onto our show to discuss his win in the Million Dollar Fish competition in the Northern Territory,” Stefanovic said on Monday’s First Edition.
‘During that interview I asked him about a theft that had occurred a few years earlier. I should not have asked him about those claims and I regret doing so.
“I sincerely apologize to Keegan and his family.”
Mr Payne, 19, made headlines across Australia last weekend after hooking a barramundi worth $1 million in Katherine, 317km south of Darwin.
His prize catch was part of the Million Dollar Fish fishing competition, designed to boost tourism in the Northern Territory.
Peter Stefanovic appeared forlorn and lost in his own thoughts as he sat in the passenger seat of his family car as Channel Nine presenter wife Sylvia Jeffreys drove on Sunday afternoon (pictured)
Stefanovic was forced to apologize after humiliating teenager Keegan Payne (pictured) on live TV after bringing up a youthful indiscretion when interviewing him about winning a $1 million fishing competition
However, his celebration was cut short on Wednesday morning during a harsh interview with Stefanovic.
The breakfast host asked point-blank if there was any truth to rumors that Keegan and a friend had once stolen an all-terrain vehicle and a quad bike from his former employer, Bob Cavanagh.
In a stunning admission, Keegan said the accusation was true – and issued a heartfelt apology to his old boss in the excruciating altercation.
The segment sparked massive outrage among viewers who demanded Stefanovic resign for trying to turn a feel-good story into a scandal.
Stefanovic deleted all his social media accounts in the wake of the furore.
On Friday afternoon, Sky News was forced to issue a groveling apology, with the broadcaster revealing that Stefanovic had personally apologized to Mr Payne and his family.
This was backed up by Mr Stefanovic’s personal apology on Monday.
Amid the public backlash, the Sky News presenter appeared dejected and lost in his own thoughts as he sat in the passenger seat of his family car as his Channel Nine presenter wife Sylvia Jeffreys drove on Sunday afternoon.
Stefanovic could be seen peering through the rain as he broke cover for the first time since humiliating the teenager.
His TV presenter wife appeared just as somber behind the wheel.
Payne’s former boss told Daily Mail Australia he was happy Stefanovic had apologised.
“He’s a good kid who made a mistake,” Cavanagh said.
‘What should have been a festive moment was taken away from him. I’m glad he did [Stefanovic] apologized to Keegan, he deserved that apology.”
Stefanovic, who wore glasses and dressed casually in a hoodie, could be seen squinting through the rain as he broke cover for the first time since the excruciating interview.
The Sky News presenter deleted all his social media accounts in the wake of the furore
The Sky News presenter even had his Wikipedia page ‘vandalized’ repeatedly to falsely claim he had been removed from his role as co-host of the Sky News programme, First Edition.
Peter Stefanovic (pictured on Sunday) has personally apologized to Mr Payne and his family
Mr Cavanagh, who has since left the Northern Territory for Queensland, said, like Keegan, Stefanovic had probably learned a valuable lesson.
“We all make mistakes and I bet he regrets them,” he said.
‘The fact that he [Stefanovic] has come out and apologized to Keegan and his family, I think he realizes he overstepped his mark.”
In the days after his million-dollar win last week, Keegan contacted his old boss and offered to pay him back for the stolen vehicles.
‘Out of nowhere [one] In the morning his dad called me and said, ‘Keegan wants to pay you back,’ and you could have knocked me down with a feather,” Mr Cavanagh said.
“He said Keegan always felt so terrible for what he did.”
Social media users were furious with Stefanovic after the interview aired.
‘Reporter hears good news. Goes out of his way to dig up dirt and be negative,” one person wrote.
“He made a mistake and took the consequences, and was forgiven long before this victory!” said another.
“S***ty reporting as usual,” another commented.
On Friday, Sky News issued a groveling apology, with the network revealing that Stefanovic had personally apologized to Mr Payne (pictured) and his family.
An Australian asked why people couldn’t just ‘be happy for this child?’
‘No one is perfect, but to shame them on TV? Talk about ripping the rug out from under him! Stop kicking people back when they’re moving forward!’ they added.
‘Shows the mentality of dips**ts who like to ruin the happiness of others!’
Lawyer Jahan Kalantar, who regularly discusses legal issues on TikTok, said Stefanovic conducted a “train wreck of an interview” and called him a “smarmy news presenter” for asking Keegan about something he did as a minor.
“Can you imagine any other community where you bring up something that a child did — which is illegal, by the way,” Kalantar said in a video.
Yvonne Weldon, an Indigenous Sydney councilor, said she was shocked by the interview.
“They invited him to talk about his prize catch and then put him on the witness stand for a crime as a teenager,” she wrote on LinkedIn.
‘As a result, they have shown no respect for his well-being and right to privacy.
“Furthermore, they have perpetuated a harmful and negative stereotype about Aboriginal youth.”
Daily Mail Australia approached Mr Payne and his father for comment on Sunday evening.