Inside the lonely rock’n’roll life of Taylor Auerbach – the media personality making bombshell claims as he laps up the limelight in the Bruce Lehrmann trial

EXCLUSIVE

The TV journalist at the center of the accusations in the defamation trial against Bruce Lehrmann has always loved the spotlight, ever since he was raised by his rock ‘n’ roll mother.

Taylor Auerbach has returned to the spotlight with dynamite allegations of drink and drug abuse, sex workers, $10,000 Thai massages and luxury digs for Mr Lehrmann as part of his deal with Seven’s Spotlight show.

But Auerbach, 32, is no stranger to the rock star lifestyle.

Former Seven producer Taylor Auerbach admitted to his boss the day after spending more than $10,000 on Thai massages with a company credit card that the services had ‘nothing to do with work’

His Stevie Nicks-lookalike mother Sharon Armstrong-Auerbach is the frontwoman of south-west Sydney band Stone Cold Sober.

On the band’s Facebook page, the group is described as ‘rock with stimulating, virtuoso guitar work by international guitar great Will Newton – Newcastle UK’.

Mr. Auerbach has been known to take to the mic himself, with multiple videos of him performing 60s and 70s classics at karaoke clubs around the world.

Mr. Auerbach has a long track record of being in front of the camera.

He featured on Nine’s Millionaire Hot Seat in 2009, when he became the show’s youngest ever major winner, pocketing $50,000 when he was just 18 years old.

And he continued that in 2010 as a participant in the cooking show Come Dine With Me Australia, where he hosted a dinner party with a 1950s rock ‘n’ roll theme.

He has also worked for several media outlets in NSW including Seven, A Current Affair, Sky News Australia, the Daily Telegraph and, briefly, Daily Mail Australia.

Mr. Auerbach has been known to take the mic himself, with multiple videos of him performing 60s and 70s classics at karaoke clubs around the world

But his biggest role yet is the one he is now playing at the Federal Court in Sydney, where he took center stage on Thursday, forcing the defamation trial to reopen with an 11th-hour intervention.

He provided an affidavit to the Federal Court alleging that he spent $10,315 on the network’s corporate card at Sensai Thai Massage “on behalf of” Mr Lehrmann.

Just two weeks ago, however, life seemed far from dramatic.

Footage of him singing Stevie Wonder’s For Once in My Life at the Covent Garden Hotel in Sydney’s Chinatown was shared on social media.

Earlier in March he took to the stage again at the same pub to sing along to the 1969 Elvis Presley hit, In The Ghetto.

And he was also caught on camera in Hawaii, performing at the Cuckoo Coconut tiki bar in Waikiki, singing another Presley hit Can’t Help Falling in Love in September 2023.

Taylor (pictured front left) with his mother Sharon, brother Rhys and stepfather Will Newton

Sharon Armstrong-Auerbach, (pictured center left) is the frontwoman of south-west Sydney band Stone Cold Sober and the lookalike of Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks

Mr Auerbach claims in his affidavits to the court that he has evidence that Channel Seven covered luxury expenses for Mr Lehrmann, including meals costing more than $500 at Franca in Potts Point and luxury homes in exchange for an interview on Spotlight .

Mr Auerbach, who left Seven last year, lost his job at Sky News Australia after details emerged of his role providing background information to journalists on Steve Jackson, his former boss at Seven’s Spotlight program, as top media adviser to NSW police commissioner Karen Webb.

He admitted in court on Thursday that he was behind the leak of a topless photo of a famous woman with Mr Jackson after an interview five years ago.

He also leaked details of a dispute over the credit card bill for Thai masseuses with Mr Lehrmann.

Mr Lehrmann is suing Network 10 and journalist Lisa Wilkinson over Brittany Higgins’ interview with The Project in which she alleged she was raped in Parliament House.

Auerbach is seen being harassed by journalists outside the court in Sydney

During the arduous five-week trial late last year, Mr Lehrmann denied having any sexual contact with Ms Higgins that evening and claimed he was being defamed by the network, despite not being named.

Judge Michael Lee was expected to deliver his long-awaited sentence Thursday until Auerbach’s later involvement.

Network 10 was allowed to reopen his case to hear new evidence from him about his involvement in securing Mr Lehrmann for two interviews with Seven’s Spotlight programme.

In a series of affidavits tendered to the Federal Court, Mr Auerbach alleged that Mr Lehrmann had provided the network with several pieces of evidence, including the AFP Statement of Facts in Mr Lehrmann’s criminal trial.

Mr. Lehrmann has previously denied providing documents to the program, and the former political staffer testified at the defamation trial that he had merely given the network an interview.