EXCLUSIVE
Sky News star Andrew Bolt has revealed what he really said during a blistering takedown after a TikTok ‘loser’ accosted him in an antique store at the weekend.
The conservative commentator was shopping at the Tyabb Packing House Antiques emporium on the Mornington Peninsula, south-east of Melbourne, on Saturday when he was confronted by the online activist.
A TikTokker who calls himself SpaceCorgi boasted online that he began ‘harassing Andrew Bolt’ after unexpectedly spotting the television presenter in the store.
‘Fun fact, if you see far-right media moguls out there trying to live a normal life, you can just harass them. Like it’s not illegal or anything,’ he wrote while posting a string of clips of the bizarre encounter.
In the videos, which have attracted more than 100,000 views, the man follows Bolt around the antiques store and claims he is ‘making the far-right scared again’.
‘Let me tell you I’m delighted to see you here,’ the TikTokker told Bolt in one of the clips before going on to taunt the veteran television presenter and columnist.
‘See Andrew, you don’t get to be comfortable here – you don’t get to be comfortable anywhere.
Sky News Australia presenter Andrew Bolt was antiquing on the Mornington Peninsular at the weekend when a Tiktokker filmed himself ‘harassing’ the conservative commentator
The bizarre encounter took place at the Tyabb Packing House Antiques emporium on Saturday
‘You live with the ramifications of your actions, which includes feedback from the wonderful citizens of Australia like me!’
Bolt replied that the man was making things uncomfortable for other customers, but the TikTokker mocked him and continued to following him through the building.
‘Oh, I’m being rude to Andrew Bolt – who gives a f***,’ he laughed.
‘Hey Andrew, I still think you’re a pr***.’
The Tiktokker claimed Bolt was humiliated and tried to pretend to be someone else, with a clip showing Bolt saying it was a case of ‘mistaken identity’.
‘Andrew Bolt will actually pretend to not be Andrew Bolt when he is confronted by criticism,’ he claimed.
He also claimed Bolt ‘accuses me of being on drugs’ while posting a clip of the TV host saying, ‘You’re a loser who’s getting high…’
However, Bolt told Daily Mail Australia the end of the sentence had been cut off in the video – and he had continued talking after the selective editing.
Bolt claims he was mischaracterised in a number of the clips and revealed what he really said to the online activist during the extended encounter
Indeed, the newsman, who remained calm throughout the encounter, said he was actually frustrated that the activist had cut out all his best comebacks.
‘It all started when this man approached me and said, “I hate you” and I replied, “Well, that’s a silly thing to say” and walked off,’ Bolt told Daily Mail Australia on Monday.
‘Then he started following me around and swearing at me… which was really strange, I’ve never experienced anything like that before.
‘It wasn’t upsetting or anything – I’m just annoyed he took out all my best lines!
‘I never accused him of being on drugs or being “high” – and they were plenty of people around who heard what I actually said to him.
‘What I said was, “You’re a loser who is getting high on seeing someone they think is famous” because he looked so nervous and his hands and legs were shaking like leaves.’
Bolt also claimed he had been taken out of context in another of the TikTok clips.
‘I haven’t seen the videos, but from what you’re saying, it sounds like he also edited my comment about it being a “case of mistaken identity”,’ he said.
The television presenter had been exploring the popular store and hunting for a box for his reading glasses at the time
‘What I actually said was, “You’ve mistaken me for someone who gives a s*** what you think” – I can’t believe he took out the best part!’
In the end, Bolt said the man became the butt of his own attempted joke after trying to encourage onlookers to help him ridicule the Sky News host – only for them to take Bolt’s side.
‘What happened at the end was about five of them told him he was being rude and he was asked to leave,’ Bolt said.
‘I didn’t see it but they told me he was so focused on filming everything, he accidentally fell over and ended up flat on his back and everyone had a bit of a laugh at him – and that was the end of it.
‘I would like to thank the people who intervened – they really didn’t need to do that but it was very kind of them.
‘He was obviously trying to make fun of me but the people have spoken!’
Viewers on TikTok also joined in the attack on the TikTokker, with many commenting the clips were ‘so cringe’ and ‘juvenile’.
‘You actually think you’re doing a good thing. Nah, this is quite pathetic,’ one user said.
Viewers said the TikTokker needed to be better prepared before trying to take on an experienced television presenter like Bolt
Another remarked: ‘See how everyone in there is telling you to f*** off! I’m a Labor member and I’d tell you to f*** off as well, you absolute waste of space!’
A third added: ‘You got to be a bit more witty with your attacks. Be prepared for Bolt’s rebuttals.’
The TikToker mocked the ‘gang of goons’ who took Bolt’s side during the encounter, accusing the shop’s customers of ‘attacking’ him.
‘So this is [the] exciting conclusion to the tale, nobody calls the police on me, Andrew Bolt begs me to not tell everybody who he is, then bravely runs away when the lollipop guild throw me to the ground,’ he wrote.
Bolt revealed he had been in the shop searching for an antique spectacles box at the time of the incident and ended up buying a chest for his reading glasses from the shop.
‘I was going to walk out and not buy anything,’ the TV host said.
‘But I thought that wasn’t fair on the owner so I came back and bought a beautiful antique box for my glasses.
‘I don’t want to say how much I paid for it though – I haven’t told my wife yet!’
