April 28, 2025 • 33 mins
Rumours are swirling about the state of Tammy Hembrow’s five month marriage, after her husband Matt Zukowski was absent from not only her Easter celebrations but her birthday.
Mikaela Testa has announced she’s done speaking about the Paul family. The revelation came a day after she released a shocking voice note Anna Paul sent her.
AND a three-second clip of Aimee Connor doing a salute before heading off to work, has resulted in the TikToker receiving death threats, being stood down from work and a police investigation.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello, and welcome to Outspoken. It's your dose of the
hottest influencer and pop culture news twice a week. I'm
Kate Torba and coming up on today's show, Mikayla Testa
says she's done talking about the Paul family and how
Amy Connor's morning routine ended up with a police investigation.
But first, rumors are swelling about the state of Tammy
(00:23):
Hembro's five month marriage after her husband Matt Sakowski, was
absent from not only her Easter celebrations but her birthday.
So speculation has been building since Tammy unfollowed her husband
last month and removed the title missus Zakowski from her
Instagram bio. I feel like it's this unfollow that has
put a lot of us on ringwatch. Every time Tammy
(00:43):
appears on her Instagram story and she's not wearing her
massive diamonds our inbox is literally flooded with messages of
people being like, oh my god, this confirms that they're
not together and truth be told. In the past couple
of weeks, she has appeared quite a number of times
without her rings on, in saying that she has been
wearing them as well. That's why It's so confusing because
sometimes you're like, oh my god, she hasn't worn her
(01:05):
ring for ages, and then suddenly this massive diamond will
be in her next story.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Well.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Also, she's always working out as part of her brand.
She's always in gym gear, and it would be very
difficult working out with those rocks on your hand. I
mean I hardly ever wear my wedding rings when I'm
home looking after my son because it's just too big.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
K Is that what you're trying.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Look, they're not as big as ta me having bros.
But I'm saying I get really uncomfortable with jewely on
and if you're always washing your hands and you're looking
after a baby. So I'm glad no one's watching the
status of my rings.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I always have mine on.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
I feel naked during the day if I don't, because
I feel like I've lost it. I know some people
sleep in their engagement and wedding bets.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
I draw the line at that.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Oh I can't. I can't even sleep with like ear
rings and I have to have everything taken out. But
the thing is, if my marriage was under speculation and
people were like, hang on a day together, I'd definitely
be wearing them in my Instagram stories. I have noticed
in a couple of their recent tiktoks where she was
miming to break up songs where she was I don't know,
trying to allude that something was going on. She did
have her sleeves covering her hands. Yeah, I mean it's
very odd behavior. I can see why people are so
(02:04):
interested to know what's going on.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yeah, and suspicion was.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Really raised further over the Easter Long weekend when he
was visibly absent from her celebrations and Tammy had what
looked like a really wholesome Easter morning. I always love
how she interacts with her kids. They're always dancing around.
They were in matching pj's. I love how you say
how she interacts with her kids, because I always feel
a bit weird when you know that the influencer has
(02:28):
propped up their phone to film something, and you can't
help but feel like it's a little bit performative. Yeah,
but the kids always look comfortable, so I get the
vibe that the dancing also happens when the camera is off.
I just think it's quite cute and a lot of
the content that we've been seeing of late with her
and her kids is content that she used to share
when she was single and sparking a lot of those
memories for me. So yeah, she did show a very
(02:49):
wholesome morning. Her kids were eating Easter bunnies for breakfast
and also hot Cross buns, and the video showed Tammy
being every part of the doting mum, And it didn't
take long for followers to start questioning, well, where is
her husband, Matt Sakowski in all of this? So one
follower wrote, I just don't get why Matt is never
in the picks. It's weird and definitely shows something is
(03:09):
going on with them. She seems doomed for any relationship,
which is a bit harsh that comment. Another said, and
the husband, what pjs did he wear? Whilst another said
that photo of the pool is just stunning? But okay,
why is Tammy a married, single mum? It does feel
like Tammy is trying to make a point by sharing
this Easter content because it's very obvious that he's not
(03:30):
there and she knows people are going to comment, and
it's not like she cleared it up in the comments
and said, oh, Matt was away with his family at Easter.
There was nothing or shared that she was facetiming him
or anything like that, and it does paint him as
being the baddie because she's essentially saying, well, he's absent
from these very wholesome family activities. And what makes it
even more complicated is the fact that Matt has taken
(03:52):
this social media hiatus, so as his followers, we really
don't know what he's been up to, what state is in,
what's going on. Yeah, I think people were expecting to
see him at the Easter celebrations, particularly because Tammy had
shared this TikTok five days earlier where she was gushing
about how amazing their relationship was and it was so
great for her kids to see this special type of
(04:13):
love between the two of them. Yeah, So she captioned
the video a family where my kids see just how
much he loves their mum. And in the video, Tammy
and Matt were cuddling whilst Tammy's daughter Posey looked on
and then eventually joined in on the cuddle. And that
video attracted over three million views and over half a
million likes because it was the first time that we'd
(04:34):
seen Matt in Tammy's content since that unfollow and there
seemed to be a sense of relief from some of
Tammy's followers. In the comment section. One follower wrote, so
glad to see this, so much talk about your relationship
being on the rocks, whilst another said, oh they've made up.
How cute. Matt was also nowhere to be seen on
Tammy's birthday. So on Tuesday A, Tammy turned thirty one,
(04:55):
and she marked the occasion by not only launching a
new business, but changing up her which is always a
telltale sign of a breakup. I think she went red
when she broke up with Matt Paul from memory, Oh
did she well? This time she has swapped her platinum
blonde bob for long hair extensions, and I have to
say she looked like the og Tammy. I feel like
(05:16):
she was trying to show Matt what he was missing
out on, potentially because I think the long hair suits
her really well.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
I mean it was so telling because after getting her
hair done, she arrived at her office and she shared
an Instagram story of this massive bunch of flowers and
I could tell they weren't from Matt because they weren't.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
The woolies chuck out once.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
They were actually a really nice bunch, and she wrote
grateful for the girlies in my life making me feel
so special today. Thank you for all your birthday love.
This seemed like a direct dig at Matt. Yeah, because
she's literally pointing out to her followers the girlies are
getting around me. My husband is clearly mia from these
birthday celebrations. She also shared a birthday photo dump and
(05:55):
wrote blessed with another year and again Matt did not
appear in any of the photos and he didn't like
the post. He also didn't upload a birthday post for her,
which I feel like if you're a social media couple,
like a big social media couple in the public eye,
this is important to do because last year he shared
a series of photos of them together and wrote happy
(06:16):
thirtieth birthday, My beautiful fiance. Can't wait for the next
thirty and thirty more years with you.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
I love you.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
I mean, it's not hard to put up an Instagram story,
particularly if just say this is all innocent and he
is back in Melbourne for work. Wouldn't you make it
a bigger deal to confess your love for your wife
on social media, particularly when there are so many rumors swirling.
I mean, you wouldn't go away on your wife's birthday either,
if you're just newly married. I mean, there would have
to be some big reason. Now, as for this new business,
(06:45):
Tammy launched a new supplements company with her sisters Amy
and Emily on her birthday called Selfish SUPs. And this
line has launched straight into five hundred and twenty chemist
warehouse stores across the country. And I noticed that Matt
was originally following the supplement's brand, but now he has
done the dirty unfollow and he doesn't follow it, and
(07:08):
they don't follow him. Jesus not looking good at all.
And fans were even more convinced that this relationship is
on the rocks when Matt popped up at his co
host Anna at McAvoy's birthday dinner. So Anna turned thirty
three on the twenty first of April, a day before
Tammy's birthday. On the twenty second, unfortunate timing, I know,
and Anna uploaded a photo dump of her birthday dinner
(07:30):
showing that Matt was amongst the close friends in attendance. Now,
the dinner was celebrated at the Conservatory Crown in Melbourne,
Matt's hometown, so it all but confirms that he spent
the Easter weekend in Melbourne and not on the Gold
Coast with his wife and step kids. Now followers work
quick to respond in Anna's comments section, One wrote, so
did Matt make it to Tammy's b day as well,
(07:51):
to which someone replied, guessing not with a laughing face.
I mean, that's very awkward for Anna McAvoy, but maybe
don't post the photo that Matt's in now. There is
a bit of a twist in this story because it
appears as though Tammy and Matt have patched things up,
because Tammy went on a recent trip to Melbourne with
her sisters to promote their new supplements company, and she
was spotted at an NFL draft party with Matt. Now,
(08:15):
Matt is a huge NFL fan, and we've actually had
a number of attendees from the event DMUs photos of
the couple together. Now, One anonymous party goer said they're
very much still together, whilst another said that Tammy looked
pissed off during the event and not overly pleased with Matt.
It does appear as though Tammy potentially met Matt at
(08:37):
the event, and prior to her being there, Matt was
apparently avoiding speaking to any women. I mean, I think
that is a wise idea from him. We do remember
that time back last year when he was on that
brand trip with that jet company, the private jet Yeah,
and he was spotted speaking to some influences. I think
he was playing darts and he was put in a
(08:58):
team with some women, and people snapped some photos and
said it looked like he was flirting with them. It
sounded pretty innocent. But Matt also has recently popped up
in and get Ready with Me video that Tammy shared
on her TikTok a couple of days ago, and it
showed him for a split second kissing her cheek. So
again he has popped up in her content, and Matt
(09:18):
has also since hit out about his social media hiatus,
saying this, Okay.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Guys, so I took a little pause or break, whatever
you want to call it from social media. I haven't
been on in a while because I just got over
just the I know it's not everyone, so I'm not
blaming everyone, but there's a lot of people out there
that comment negative stuff and they want to see people
do like they want to see people fail, and they
want to see things fail. So I was just over
being like seeing that sort of stuff. It's fucking depressing.
(09:46):
So I took a break. I'm back now I'm going
to post regularly as normal. So I'm happy you guys
should be.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
If this isn't gas lighting at its finest, I don't
know what is. I totally under stand that it would
be tough to be in the public eye and have
your relationship scrutinized in the way that they have. But
I'm getting a bit sick of them airing their dirty
laundry across social media, in sense of them constantly unfollowing
and then following, and then being surprised that people want
(10:16):
to talk about it, or that people are intrigued and
interested at what's going on, particularly when Matt has a
relationship podcast, like you know That's your bread and Butter.
I mean, he barely talks about his relationship with Tammy.
He just kind of uses it as a little bit
of a clickbait in the titles. Now, do we actually
believe that he took a social media hiatus due to
the negativity or do we think that he took a
social media hiatus because the couple has been arguing. Oh,
(10:39):
I definitely think where they's smoke, there's fire, and there
clearly has been some falling out between the pair and
they're back together again. I just think they need to
both grow up and stop having it play out on
social media. I find it funny because once they're back together,
it's us against the world, but then during their arguments,
it's like, get the fuck away from me, don't even.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Follow my page.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
I'm gonna block you from absolutely everything.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
I am literally on the toilet, but I have something
to say, so I'm just going to say it. You
are not gonna hear me speak about Anna Paul Addas
Paul ever again.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
After this video.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
This is the last time I'm speaking about these people.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Mikayla Tester has announced she's done speaking about the Paul family.
The revelation came a day after she released a shocking
voice note Anna Paul sent her. My jaw is still
on the floor after hearing this voice note. It was
another receipt from the Millionaires and Billionaires group chat that
Mikhayla Tester, Anna Paul and Adams Paul were a part of.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
I still can't get over the name of that group chat.
That says it all, doesn't it?
Speaker 1 (11:36):
It does Now. According to Michayla, Anna allegedly instructed the
group to troll Addis's ex girlfriend, Alice Patterson after she
pressed charges against him, which resulted in Adams Paul pleading
guilty to statutory rape. Let's take a listen, don't save
this voice message, but we should make fake accounts of
this is all that.
Speaker 5 (11:55):
We should make fake TikTok accounts and just comment on
her appearance on her tiktoks, the mean shit, all the
things that she would be insecure about.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
We should just go into.
Speaker 5 (12:03):
Detail and comment that hate so she knows that she
is really that ugly, like those the type of comments
that make you stay awake at night, those types of
comments where you're like, my arm's.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Really fat, it's my nose really that ugly?
Speaker 5 (12:14):
Like we should really go in really specific.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
I mean pretty wild that someone who has based their
personal brand on kindness is saying this stuff behind the scenes.
It's pretty shocking, particularly going to the extent of saying, hey,
let's make up all of these troll accounts to literally
pray off any insecurity that this young girl had. I mean,
she was only seventeen at the time. She was underage
as well, and these are adults doing this to a kid.
(12:39):
It's utterly shocking, because I mean, this is the worst
of the worst. I wonder if Mikayla just stumbled across
this voice note and didn't realize she had it until now,
because it is a real trump card that I thought
perhaps she would have liked to use on her podcast. Yeah,
I'm surprised we didn't hear it on the podcast first
and off the back of sharing the voice note on
her story, Mikayla threatened Anna that it was just the
(13:00):
tip of the iceberg. When it came to the receipt
she still had on her she wrote, I've got miles more,
so stop lying because I'll post them all. You probably
thought I'd ran out by now, huh. Now. In an
unexpected turn of events, Ruka Salt announced on Friday night
that she would no longer be posting about the Paul
family because it was having a detrimental effect on her health. Now.
(13:21):
She has been a very strong ally to Mikayla. She
was the one who alleged first that Anna Paul's dad,
Hans was homeless. Yeah, She's been very vocal about the
polls and in her personal life. She is currently trying
to feel pregnant and says that the stress of the
situation has caused her to lose her period. She finished
up by writing, I'll be supporting all the girls from
(13:41):
the sidelines from now on now. On Saturday, Mikayla surprisingly
followed suit, announcing on her Instagram story that she's also
no longer going to be speaking about the Paul family.
She said that there won't be a fourth episode of
her podcast because she's proven herself enough. Instead, she said
she'll be taking legal action and getting justice.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Via the court.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
She also importantly added that Anna Paul is not suing
her for defamation because she knows that she can't. And
it was quite cheeky because she pointed out that she'll
be resuming daily vlogging on her TikTok, just like she
did back in twenty twenty two, and she added, and
what I said in those voice notes, I deserve those
seven million followers, or should I correct myself six point
one million now. She also urged her followers to go
(14:26):
follow Alice Patterson on Instagram and TikTok because she is
another victim that is continuing to.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Tell her story now.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
She did back up her written statement with a TikTok
funnily enough, which she filmed on the toilet. I cracked
up when she said that. And also I could just
see the flush button behind her during a lot of
the video. It was a very fancy flush, you know what.
It was pretty flattering lighting as well. I feel like
that had something to do with it. She was taking
the video from sky. Wheatley always used to post from
the toilet on her story. Well, sometimes they say if
(14:55):
you're talking to a camera, do it in the spot
where you feel most comfortable. Clearly, the toilet is a
spotwherel a lot of people feel comfortable.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Well, Mikayla said that the show was over, and she
reiterated a lot of what she said in her Instagram story.
She said that the whole ordeal had left her boarding
and also hiding indoors. It also seemed like it was
an opportunity for Mikayla to get on the front foot
in terms of that voice note with Anna Paul, because
everyone was starting to ask, well, what did you say
back to her? So Mikayla shared Anna's voice note for
(15:24):
TikTok because last time she only put it on a story.
And then she added her response in Let's listen to
what Mikayla and Addis replied back in twenty twenty one
to Anna, I don't.
Speaker 6 (15:34):
Know if I told you, don't say this postmasage too,
but I made a fake account.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
I think I told Atis I made a fake.
Speaker 6 (15:39):
Account like the other day, because she did a video
where she did wing diyeliner. And I know she's like
really insecure about people telling her that she's copying me,
because every time she does something that I do, everyone
already pounces on her and tells her that. But I
made a fake out. I commented it, and then I
went back and looked an hour later, and her whole
video was deleted too.
Speaker 5 (15:57):
Pretty much just like make accounts all day on a
bank roll, like I've got them on payroll.
Speaker 6 (16:03):
Just make accounts and common shit all day on every
piece of her social media.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Is this what these people spend their whole time doing.
I mean, you see their daily vlogs. Maybe they need
to be a bit more honest. I spent the next
two hours just creating a ton of control.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Again, this was never in the Daily Blog.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Michaela went on to say that she was a demon,
but Anna Paul was the devil, and she said her
behavior was the result of spending too much time with Anna.
She also said the difference was that the polls had
painted Alice out to be this crazy ex girlfriend and
she didn't personally know Alice, whereas Anna actually did know her.
That is a good point because I feel like the
(16:39):
wall was being pulled over Michayla's eyes. So let's be honest,
most of us hate our partner's ex girlfriend.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
I mean we'll also have to remember these people's ages.
I mean that's clearly something that none of us would
ever ever do.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
These people are in their early twenties.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
I'm not making excuses for what they're doing, but it
is very juvenile behavior.
Speaker 5 (16:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
And Mikayla's been really upfront and taken accountability for what
she's done. She's always said, look, I haven't been a
good person in this. I should have spoken out, I
shouldn't have participated alongside the polls, And she did say
that again in her TikTok.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
There's been a lot.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Of speculation that perhaps Michayla and Veruka had finally been
gagged by Anna Paul's legal team, but Michayla finished by
saying this.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Everything I said is the truth. There is no legal
action from Anna. There won't be because she knows everything
I say.
Speaker 7 (17:24):
Is the truth.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
And Anna have a lot worse receipts than that voice message.
I could have used that in episode one of my podcast,
but I didn't. I've got some golden receipts and she
knows I'll pull those out in court and all of
her little money that she would have spent towards suing
me for defamation would have gone down the dream.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
That's why she never bothered.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
What I'm reading into this is perhaps they've agreed to
a bit of a truth.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
There's so much.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Back and forth happening at the moment, this airing of
dirty laundry, these voice notes. Maybe Anna has gone to
Michayla and said, look, if you say anything else about me,
I'm going to release X, Y and Z. Like maybe
there's a been a black about going on, and Mikayla's
been like, okay, I've had my say, let me release
this last one and that's where I'll finish things.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
See.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
I actually think that Mikayla has taken a step back
and realize that the more she talks about the situation,
the more it's diluting the serious message, and it is
becoming this petty slinging match and we're forgetting the real issue,
which is Adis Paul's behavior. And I actually think it's
really good that she's decided to take this offline now
and actually follow it up legally. And when you think
(18:29):
about the way a lot of these news stories break
and everyone's attention, this story has been going on for
over a month now, it was two months actually, well
two months, and I think that they've realized that it's
as terrible as it is to say, the people's interest
in it is drying up. Everyone was there for the
dirty details. I think that they've also realized they've done
(18:50):
enough damage to Addis and Anna's reputation. I mean, you
only have to look at Anna Paul's Coachella videos to
see her comment section is flooded with people telling.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Me how to get off. We don't want to hear.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
I think that they've realized that they've done all that
they can and now it's time for them to move
on happily with their own lives. I mean, Mikayla, she's
obviously trying to build a successful vlogging career on TikTok,
and her popularity is that it's peak at the moment.
So she doesn't want to be a one trick pony
and only showed that she can condemn this family. She
wants to show a different side of herself. Well, she
(19:21):
almost has to follow in Anna Poule's footsteps now and
just ignore the whole situation and move on and be positive,
which I think she's trying to do by sharing her
daily vlogs. I think she realizes that people are getting
a little bit tired of hearing the same thing about
Anna Poul over and over again.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
And I mean, I'm quite enjoying. I've been enjoying it.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
For two months, but it gets difficult to keep following.
You're like, hang on, I've missed that bit, and then
this person's talking about it, and this person's talking about it.
I wonder if Anna Poul will just take it longing
down though, or you know, because the voice note has
done her a lot of doubt, she's going to continue
to ignore. I mean, she's still posting that nothing's happened
on snapchat. I think that they're all going to get
back to ignoring, and you know, the damages that Anna
Poul has lost a million followers. She should have lost more.
(20:01):
I think if anyone listening to this podcast is still
following her, give her he unfollowed. Also, it's done so
much reputational damage. I know she's not an influencer who
works with a ton of different brands, but no brand
is going to want to touch her with a ten
foot pole. It's also done huge damage to her skincare brand.
Pol You say that, but she was still invited to
the Grand Prix. There's still eyeballs on her. I think
(20:23):
it will take a while for her to sign a
big brand deal again. But I mean, if you had
a brand, would you want to work with her?
Speaker 2 (20:30):
No, I wouldn't.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
But I don't think that she's canceled. I don't think
in this day and age that influencers can be canceled anymore.
I actually think that this has made her more famous
infamous as it be, and I think she'll be back.
I think now that she's been pushed down at tall
pubby syndrome, she's been cut down.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
She will return.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
She'll return without Adas by her side, which you will
be very difficult for her because it's quite apparent how
close they are.
Speaker 7 (20:55):
Hey, everyone. I just wanted to take a moment to
speak openly and honestly about video I posted that's been
taken out of context and caused a lot of confusion
and her.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
A three second clip of Amy Connor doing a salute
before heading off to work has resulted in the TikToker
receiving death threats, being stood down from work and a
police investigation. Kate, before we get into it. For our
listeners who aren't familiar.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
With her, who is Amy Connor Well.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
She's actually better known as Ames online and she's a
thirty nine year old registered nurse and mum from the
south coast of New South Wales. We actually interviewed her
on our Christmas special last year and Aims started out
creating content on TikTok as a way to stay sane
during the pandemic and also as a way to be
creative while she was on maternity leave, and she very
(21:43):
quickly cultivated an engaged audience by sharing fly on the
Wall style content of life at home with four children.
She now has one point two million followers on TikTok
and at one hundred and forty three thousand on Instagram. Now,
despite taking off as an influencer. Aimes still works casual
ship as a nurse, and she is far from being
(22:03):
a problematic influencer. Her content is very positive, wholesome and fun.
She's probably best known for creatively repurposing leftover food from
her kid's meals. So I was absolutely shocked and confused
when these accusations came out. And she's just an all
round legend. I have to say she's a lovely person.
When Amy and I interviewed her for Christmas, she was
(22:25):
so generous with her time. She's so smart. I love
the fact that she still has a career whilst working
as an influencer and also as a mom. And I
never thought we would be discussing some scandal involving Aims
on our podcast. I mean, I think she's even joked
about it on her TikTok before, when she said she
listened to Outspoken because she just loves hearing all.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
The drama that she's not involved in.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Let's get into what actually happened, because I feel like
there is a lot of miscommunication and crosswise. So two
weeks ago, Aime shared a video to TikTok documenting her
morning routine as a casual pulner and in a now
deleted clip from that video, Ames did a military style
salute with her left hand in the mirror before heading
(23:08):
off to work. Now off the back of that video,
Ames was accused by some followers of performing a Nazi
style salute, and the gesture is associated with Adolph Hitler
and is performed by extending the right arm from the
shoulder into the air. Yeah, and screenshots of Ames with
her arm in the air started circulating on TikTok and
(23:28):
other forums. Next came doctored versions of the video where
the salute was reversed to make it look like a
Nazi salute, and Ames ended up editing the salute out
of the original TikTok she uploaded, but the damage was
already done.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
In an interview with.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
News dot com do Au, Ames explained that she edits
her own TikTok footage and she didn't think anything of
the salute when she uploaded the video, so she was
left absolutely shocked when people started making accusations. The sad
thing is that Ames was simply salute fellow healthcare workers,
and she said in this interview that it was taken
(24:04):
out of context. People were reversing it and playing it backwards,
so it looked like the opposite of how I did it.
She said, I see the image and I'm scared of it.
The screenshot terrifies me. I'm having nightmares because this is
not me and that is not what I was doing.
When I see it in my head, I start shaking.
And she went on to say that she can understand
why people have gotten the wrong impression by the altered
images online or the out of context screenshots. This is
(24:27):
a very serious accusation to make against someone, particularly because
in January last year, it became illegal in Australia to
perform a Nazi salute in public. Now. The law was
introduced off the back of the rise in anti semitism
in Australia, and the accusation has been taken very seriously
because Ames ended up being stood down from New South
Wales Health while the matter was being investigated. After her
(24:50):
work was contacted, the police were then contacted to investigate. Now,
according to Ames, the salute has been cleared by the
police and the nursing board and the only reason she's
unable to return to work is because she violated social
media policies by filming herself and coworkers at work. Oh wow,
so they've said you're all clear of this accusation, but
(25:11):
hold on, we've noticed that you shouldn't actually be posting.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
About your job full stop now.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
New South Wales Police have also confirmed that they commenced
an investigation after reports of an offensive video posted on
social media. Following inquiries, no further police action is expected.
My heart's been feeling really heavy for Ames over this
whole ordeal because I think it has been completely taken
out of context and it really shows how a screenshot
can be manipulated and made to look a hell of
(25:38):
a lot worse than it actually is. Now. On Easter Saturday,
Ames posted an apology on social media. It was really
difficult to watch because she was visibly distressed and shaking
in it. She denied the gesture was a Nazi salute.
She also took a note out of Mikayla Tester's book
and read from notes on her phone.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Here's some of what she said.
Speaker 7 (25:59):
Hey everyone, I just wanted to take a moment to
speak openly and honestly about a video I posted that's
been taken out of context and caused a lot of
confusion and her I've decided to use notes to make
sure I don't miss anything and offend anyone Further, in
that clip I made that was intended to be a
soldier's salute, but a screenshot of that moment has been
(26:21):
circulated and accused of being a Nazi salute. I want
to be absolutely clear that was never my intention, and
I do not in any way support or condone hate
or extremism of any kind.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Now, Ames went on to apologize to military members for
any offense she caused. She said that she realized it
was not her place to use the gesture, even in
a lighthearted way, and in Ames's apology video, she also
confirmed that the incident had been reported to the police
and she's been cleared of any wrongdoing. What shot me
the most was hearing Ames talk about the impact that
(26:54):
the incident had had on her personally. She reveals she's
been receiving very concerning messages and even death threats against
her and her family, and she later confirmed that there
is now an open police investigation going on because she
fears for her own personal safety. Well for Ames, because
she does live her life so publicly online and people
could easily piece together where she lives. This threat would
(27:17):
feel very real for her exactly, you'd feel so vulnerable
with four young kids. Now, it's important to know that
Ames made a deliberate decision not to apologize to the
Jewish community. In an interview with news dot com do Au,
she explained that she didn't want to apologize over something
that she didn't do. She said, I didn't want it
to sound like I was admitting to guilt. I started
at my forehead, which is how a traditional soldier salute starts.
(27:39):
I was apologizing for that, but I wasn't doing a
Nazi salute. It'd be so easy to take out of
context again and the people would say, why are you
apologizing to them if you didn't do it.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
I think this was a very clever move by Ames.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
From a PR perspective, you should never admit guilt or
apologize for something that you didn't actually do. If she'd
release this official statement saying I apologize to the Jewel
Wish community for the offensive salute that I did, it
then just gives the media free reign to run with
the story saying an Aussie influencer has apologized.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
For doing a Nazi salute.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
You're right, but since then a leading member of the
Australian Jewish community has come out and condemned Ames's video.
Doctor Diva Abramovich, who is the chairman of the Anti
Defamation Commission and a leading force behind the national push
to ban public displays of the Nazi salute and swatsticker,
wrote in an opinion piece for The Nightly online publication.
(28:32):
He said, for Holocaust survivors, that outreached arm is not
a symbol of fitness or fun. It is the gesture
that marched six million Jews and millions of others to
their death. A gesture that once accompanied cries of Hail Hitler,
is now edited into a day in the Life montage
and seen by millions of followers. That is not just
poor judgment, It is a symptom of dangerous ignorance. This
(28:53):
is the outcome when history is not taught, when Holocaust's
education is sidelined, and when genocide is flattened into a trend.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
Now.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
He went on to say that the intent behind the
video was irrelevant because intent does not eraise impact, whether
accidental or deliberate, Performing a Nazi salute in any context
is an act that reopens wounds and desecrates memories. He
also went on to say it's not about cancel culture
or punishing someone forever. It's a matter of collective responsibility.
(29:19):
He wrote, because when influencers can post genocidal symbols without
grasping their weight, we have failed, not just as a
Jewish community, but as a nation. It is a deeply
distressing time for the Jewish community as a whole at
the moment. And I completely respect what doctor Abramovich had
to say on the matter.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
As someone who.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Isn't Jewish, I really can't begin to imagine how upsetting
the whole incident has been and how triggering it would
be in saying that, I believe the upset has been
unfairly caused by a lot of trolls who seem to
have manufactured this drama in an attempt to bring aims down.
I do feel like her gesture has been taken out
of context and also blown into something it was never
(29:59):
into to be, And I think we need to be
very wary because manipulating footage and taking screenshots out of
context to try and push a narrative against an influencer
is incredibly dangerous, particularly when it's this serious. It's a
criminal offense and labeling someone as a Nazi is life changing.
It's completely unfair and disrespectful to the Jewish community as
(30:21):
well to use them as a means to start a
witch hunt against an influencer. They're going through enough as
it is. I just feel like there's so many people
who are that desperate to bring down particular influencers that
they don't like, that they're willing to stop at nothing.
And it's really unfortunate that Ames edited the salute out
(30:42):
of the vlog because I've seen it and it has
been completely taken out of context, and the screen shots,
as you said, have been manipulated. They've made to look
completely different, and unfortunately people are now going off the
screenshots which are misleading, and the fact that this woman
and her young family are receiving death threats is a
polling yeah, as Ames said in an interview that people
(31:02):
accusing her of a crime don't understand the magnitude of
their actions now. Ames said that she would be taking
time offline over the Easter long weekend. She did return
last week to thank everyone for their love and support.
She also revealed that she has called Lifeline for support
over the weekend, and she said it's not the first
time she's actually used Lifeline services before. She actually called
(31:24):
them when she was going through a difficult time when
she was twenty five.
Speaker 5 (31:28):
Now.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
She did return to social media on Sunday, sharing a
week bit slice recipe and seems to be back to
her usual positive and fun content. The thing is when
you actually look at Ames's comment section and the reality
is that the people who know her and follow her
for her positive content, they haven't brought into any of this.
And that's a dangerous thing about TikTok. The people can
(31:49):
stumble across content who don't know the creator and take
it out of context. Yeah, I'm glad that Ames has
the backing of her community, but there are still news
articles now with her name and Nazi.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Attached to it.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
You can't get rid of those that The damage has
been done, and it makes me really annoyed that people
have to go out of their way to try and
destroy other people's reputation just because they might not like
them online. Like, Okay, I'm all for holding influences to
account when they do the wrong thing, but to take
something out of context and make it into something that
(32:24):
it's not to punish someone what because they repurpose their kids' leftovers.
We need to look at ourselves as a society and
be like this has just gone too far. It's like
someone saw this and thought, oh, this is an opportunity
to take advantage and take this out of context.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
We need, generally what it feels like.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
We need to look at people's intentions and their character.
I mean, when Elia Musk got up and did that
hand gesture, you could see why people jump to conclusions. Yes,
excauted his character, but in this instance, this.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Is a nurse, a mother of four, and.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Someone who shares positive content and uplifting content. Well, that
is where we're going to leave things today. Thank you
for listening to another episode of Outspoken. If you do
enjoy the show, we would love it if you could
leave us a review. Also share where you're listening to
the podcast from This podcast was recorded on the traditional
land of the Ghana people of the Adelaide Planes. We
pay respect to elders past and present.
Hello, and welcome to Outspoken. It's your dose of the
hottest influencer and pop culture news twice a week. I'm
Kate Torba and coming up on today's show, Mikayla Testa
says she's done talking about the Paul family and how
Amy Connor's morning routine ended up with a police investigation.
But first, rumors are swelling about the state of Tammy
(00:23):
Hembro's five month marriage after her husband Matt Sakowski, was
absent from not only her Easter celebrations but her birthday.
So speculation has been building since Tammy unfollowed her husband
last month and removed the title missus Zakowski from her
Instagram bio. I feel like it's this unfollow that has
put a lot of us on ringwatch. Every time Tammy
(00:43):
appears on her Instagram story and she's not wearing her
massive diamonds our inbox is literally flooded with messages of
people being like, oh my god, this confirms that they're
not together and truth be told. In the past couple
of weeks, she has appeared quite a number of times
without her rings on, in saying that she has been
wearing them as well. That's why It's so confusing because
sometimes you're like, oh my god, she hasn't worn her
(01:05):
ring for ages, and then suddenly this massive diamond will
be in her next story.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Well.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Also, she's always working out as part of her brand.
She's always in gym gear, and it would be very
difficult working out with those rocks on your hand. I
mean I hardly ever wear my wedding rings when I'm
home looking after my son because it's just too big.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
K Is that what you're trying.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Look, they're not as big as ta me having bros.
But I'm saying I get really uncomfortable with jewely on
and if you're always washing your hands and you're looking
after a baby. So I'm glad no one's watching the
status of my rings.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I always have mine on.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
I feel naked during the day if I don't, because
I feel like I've lost it. I know some people
sleep in their engagement and wedding bets.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
I draw the line at that.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Oh I can't. I can't even sleep with like ear
rings and I have to have everything taken out. But
the thing is, if my marriage was under speculation and
people were like, hang on a day together, I'd definitely
be wearing them in my Instagram stories. I have noticed
in a couple of their recent tiktoks where she was
miming to break up songs where she was I don't know,
trying to allude that something was going on. She did
have her sleeves covering her hands. Yeah, I mean it's
very odd behavior. I can see why people are so
(02:04):
interested to know what's going on.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yeah, and suspicion was.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Really raised further over the Easter Long weekend when he
was visibly absent from her celebrations and Tammy had what
looked like a really wholesome Easter morning. I always love
how she interacts with her kids. They're always dancing around.
They were in matching pj's. I love how you say
how she interacts with her kids, because I always feel
a bit weird when you know that the influencer has
(02:28):
propped up their phone to film something, and you can't
help but feel like it's a little bit performative. Yeah,
but the kids always look comfortable, so I get the
vibe that the dancing also happens when the camera is off.
I just think it's quite cute and a lot of
the content that we've been seeing of late with her
and her kids is content that she used to share
when she was single and sparking a lot of those
memories for me. So yeah, she did show a very
(02:49):
wholesome morning. Her kids were eating Easter bunnies for breakfast
and also hot Cross buns, and the video showed Tammy
being every part of the doting mum, And it didn't
take long for followers to start questioning, well, where is
her husband, Matt Sakowski in all of this? So one
follower wrote, I just don't get why Matt is never
in the picks. It's weird and definitely shows something is
(03:09):
going on with them. She seems doomed for any relationship,
which is a bit harsh that comment. Another said, and
the husband, what pjs did he wear? Whilst another said
that photo of the pool is just stunning? But okay,
why is Tammy a married, single mum? It does feel
like Tammy is trying to make a point by sharing
this Easter content because it's very obvious that he's not
(03:30):
there and she knows people are going to comment, and
it's not like she cleared it up in the comments
and said, oh, Matt was away with his family at Easter.
There was nothing or shared that she was facetiming him
or anything like that, and it does paint him as
being the baddie because she's essentially saying, well, he's absent
from these very wholesome family activities. And what makes it
even more complicated is the fact that Matt has taken
(03:52):
this social media hiatus, so as his followers, we really
don't know what he's been up to, what state is in,
what's going on. Yeah, I think people were expecting to
see him at the Easter celebrations, particularly because Tammy had
shared this TikTok five days earlier where she was gushing
about how amazing their relationship was and it was so
great for her kids to see this special type of
(04:13):
love between the two of them. Yeah, So she captioned
the video a family where my kids see just how
much he loves their mum. And in the video, Tammy
and Matt were cuddling whilst Tammy's daughter Posey looked on
and then eventually joined in on the cuddle. And that
video attracted over three million views and over half a
million likes because it was the first time that we'd
(04:34):
seen Matt in Tammy's content since that unfollow and there
seemed to be a sense of relief from some of
Tammy's followers. In the comment section. One follower wrote, so
glad to see this, so much talk about your relationship
being on the rocks, whilst another said, oh they've made up.
How cute. Matt was also nowhere to be seen on
Tammy's birthday. So on Tuesday A, Tammy turned thirty one,
(04:55):
and she marked the occasion by not only launching a
new business, but changing up her which is always a
telltale sign of a breakup. I think she went red
when she broke up with Matt Paul from memory, Oh
did she well? This time she has swapped her platinum
blonde bob for long hair extensions, and I have to
say she looked like the og Tammy. I feel like
(05:16):
she was trying to show Matt what he was missing
out on, potentially because I think the long hair suits
her really well.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
I mean it was so telling because after getting her
hair done, she arrived at her office and she shared
an Instagram story of this massive bunch of flowers and
I could tell they weren't from Matt because they weren't.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
The woolies chuck out once.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
They were actually a really nice bunch, and she wrote
grateful for the girlies in my life making me feel
so special today. Thank you for all your birthday love.
This seemed like a direct dig at Matt. Yeah, because
she's literally pointing out to her followers the girlies are
getting around me. My husband is clearly mia from these
birthday celebrations. She also shared a birthday photo dump and
(05:55):
wrote blessed with another year and again Matt did not
appear in any of the photos and he didn't like
the post. He also didn't upload a birthday post for her,
which I feel like if you're a social media couple,
like a big social media couple in the public eye,
this is important to do because last year he shared
a series of photos of them together and wrote happy
(06:16):
thirtieth birthday, My beautiful fiance. Can't wait for the next
thirty and thirty more years with you.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
I love you.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
I mean, it's not hard to put up an Instagram story,
particularly if just say this is all innocent and he
is back in Melbourne for work. Wouldn't you make it
a bigger deal to confess your love for your wife
on social media, particularly when there are so many rumors swirling.
I mean, you wouldn't go away on your wife's birthday either,
if you're just newly married. I mean, there would have
to be some big reason. Now, as for this new business,
(06:45):
Tammy launched a new supplements company with her sisters Amy
and Emily on her birthday called Selfish SUPs. And this
line has launched straight into five hundred and twenty chemist
warehouse stores across the country. And I noticed that Matt
was originally following the supplement's brand, but now he has
done the dirty unfollow and he doesn't follow it, and
(07:08):
they don't follow him. Jesus not looking good at all.
And fans were even more convinced that this relationship is
on the rocks when Matt popped up at his co
host Anna at McAvoy's birthday dinner. So Anna turned thirty
three on the twenty first of April, a day before
Tammy's birthday. On the twenty second, unfortunate timing, I know,
and Anna uploaded a photo dump of her birthday dinner
(07:30):
showing that Matt was amongst the close friends in attendance. Now,
the dinner was celebrated at the Conservatory Crown in Melbourne,
Matt's hometown, so it all but confirms that he spent
the Easter weekend in Melbourne and not on the Gold
Coast with his wife and step kids. Now followers work
quick to respond in Anna's comments section, One wrote, so
did Matt make it to Tammy's b day as well,
(07:51):
to which someone replied, guessing not with a laughing face.
I mean, that's very awkward for Anna McAvoy, but maybe
don't post the photo that Matt's in now. There is
a bit of a twist in this story because it
appears as though Tammy and Matt have patched things up,
because Tammy went on a recent trip to Melbourne with
her sisters to promote their new supplements company, and she
was spotted at an NFL draft party with Matt. Now,
(08:15):
Matt is a huge NFL fan, and we've actually had
a number of attendees from the event DMUs photos of
the couple together. Now, One anonymous party goer said they're
very much still together, whilst another said that Tammy looked
pissed off during the event and not overly pleased with Matt.
It does appear as though Tammy potentially met Matt at
(08:37):
the event, and prior to her being there, Matt was
apparently avoiding speaking to any women. I mean, I think
that is a wise idea from him. We do remember
that time back last year when he was on that
brand trip with that jet company, the private jet Yeah,
and he was spotted speaking to some influences. I think
he was playing darts and he was put in a
(08:58):
team with some women, and people snapped some photos and
said it looked like he was flirting with them. It
sounded pretty innocent. But Matt also has recently popped up
in and get Ready with Me video that Tammy shared
on her TikTok a couple of days ago, and it
showed him for a split second kissing her cheek. So
again he has popped up in her content, and Matt
(09:18):
has also since hit out about his social media hiatus,
saying this, Okay.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Guys, so I took a little pause or break, whatever
you want to call it from social media. I haven't
been on in a while because I just got over
just the I know it's not everyone, so I'm not
blaming everyone, but there's a lot of people out there
that comment negative stuff and they want to see people
do like they want to see people fail, and they
want to see things fail. So I was just over
being like seeing that sort of stuff. It's fucking depressing.
(09:46):
So I took a break. I'm back now I'm going
to post regularly as normal. So I'm happy you guys
should be.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
If this isn't gas lighting at its finest, I don't
know what is. I totally under stand that it would
be tough to be in the public eye and have
your relationship scrutinized in the way that they have. But
I'm getting a bit sick of them airing their dirty
laundry across social media, in sense of them constantly unfollowing
and then following, and then being surprised that people want
(10:16):
to talk about it, or that people are intrigued and
interested at what's going on, particularly when Matt has a
relationship podcast, like you know That's your bread and Butter.
I mean, he barely talks about his relationship with Tammy.
He just kind of uses it as a little bit
of a clickbait in the titles. Now, do we actually
believe that he took a social media hiatus due to
the negativity or do we think that he took a
social media hiatus because the couple has been arguing. Oh,
(10:39):
I definitely think where they's smoke, there's fire, and there
clearly has been some falling out between the pair and
they're back together again. I just think they need to
both grow up and stop having it play out on
social media. I find it funny because once they're back together,
it's us against the world, but then during their arguments,
it's like, get the fuck away from me, don't even.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Follow my page.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
I'm gonna block you from absolutely everything.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
I am literally on the toilet, but I have something
to say, so I'm just going to say it. You
are not gonna hear me speak about Anna Paul Addas
Paul ever again.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
After this video.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
This is the last time I'm speaking about these people.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Mikayla Tester has announced she's done speaking about the Paul family.
The revelation came a day after she released a shocking
voice note Anna Paul sent her. My jaw is still
on the floor after hearing this voice note. It was
another receipt from the Millionaires and Billionaires group chat that
Mikhayla Tester, Anna Paul and Adams Paul were a part of.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
I still can't get over the name of that group chat.
That says it all, doesn't it?
Speaker 1 (11:36):
It does Now. According to Michayla, Anna allegedly instructed the
group to troll Addis's ex girlfriend, Alice Patterson after she
pressed charges against him, which resulted in Adams Paul pleading
guilty to statutory rape. Let's take a listen, don't save
this voice message, but we should make fake accounts of
this is all that.
Speaker 5 (11:55):
We should make fake TikTok accounts and just comment on
her appearance on her tiktoks, the mean shit, all the
things that she would be insecure about.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
We should just go into.
Speaker 5 (12:03):
Detail and comment that hate so she knows that she
is really that ugly, like those the type of comments
that make you stay awake at night, those types of
comments where you're like, my arm's.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Really fat, it's my nose really that ugly?
Speaker 5 (12:14):
Like we should really go in really specific.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
I mean pretty wild that someone who has based their
personal brand on kindness is saying this stuff behind the scenes.
It's pretty shocking, particularly going to the extent of saying, hey,
let's make up all of these troll accounts to literally
pray off any insecurity that this young girl had. I mean,
she was only seventeen at the time. She was underage
as well, and these are adults doing this to a kid.
(12:39):
It's utterly shocking, because I mean, this is the worst
of the worst. I wonder if Mikayla just stumbled across
this voice note and didn't realize she had it until now,
because it is a real trump card that I thought
perhaps she would have liked to use on her podcast. Yeah,
I'm surprised we didn't hear it on the podcast first
and off the back of sharing the voice note on
her story, Mikayla threatened Anna that it was just the
(13:00):
tip of the iceberg. When it came to the receipt
she still had on her she wrote, I've got miles more,
so stop lying because I'll post them all. You probably
thought I'd ran out by now, huh. Now. In an
unexpected turn of events, Ruka Salt announced on Friday night
that she would no longer be posting about the Paul
family because it was having a detrimental effect on her health. Now.
(13:21):
She has been a very strong ally to Mikayla. She
was the one who alleged first that Anna Paul's dad,
Hans was homeless. Yeah, She's been very vocal about the
polls and in her personal life. She is currently trying
to feel pregnant and says that the stress of the
situation has caused her to lose her period. She finished
up by writing, I'll be supporting all the girls from
(13:41):
the sidelines from now on now. On Saturday, Mikayla surprisingly
followed suit, announcing on her Instagram story that she's also
no longer going to be speaking about the Paul family.
She said that there won't be a fourth episode of
her podcast because she's proven herself enough. Instead, she said
she'll be taking legal action and getting justice.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Via the court.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
She also importantly added that Anna Paul is not suing
her for defamation because she knows that she can't. And
it was quite cheeky because she pointed out that she'll
be resuming daily vlogging on her TikTok, just like she
did back in twenty twenty two, and she added, and
what I said in those voice notes, I deserve those
seven million followers, or should I correct myself six point
one million now. She also urged her followers to go
(14:26):
follow Alice Patterson on Instagram and TikTok because she is
another victim that is continuing to.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Tell her story now.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
She did back up her written statement with a TikTok
funnily enough, which she filmed on the toilet. I cracked
up when she said that. And also I could just
see the flush button behind her during a lot of
the video. It was a very fancy flush, you know what.
It was pretty flattering lighting as well. I feel like
that had something to do with it. She was taking
the video from sky. Wheatley always used to post from
the toilet on her story. Well, sometimes they say if
(14:55):
you're talking to a camera, do it in the spot
where you feel most comfortable. Clearly, the toilet is a
spotwherel a lot of people feel comfortable.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Well, Mikayla said that the show was over, and she
reiterated a lot of what she said in her Instagram story.
She said that the whole ordeal had left her boarding
and also hiding indoors. It also seemed like it was
an opportunity for Mikayla to get on the front foot
in terms of that voice note with Anna Paul, because
everyone was starting to ask, well, what did you say
back to her? So Mikayla shared Anna's voice note for
(15:24):
TikTok because last time she only put it on a story.
And then she added her response in Let's listen to
what Mikayla and Addis replied back in twenty twenty one
to Anna, I don't.
Speaker 6 (15:34):
Know if I told you, don't say this postmasage too,
but I made a fake account.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
I think I told Atis I made a fake.
Speaker 6 (15:39):
Account like the other day, because she did a video
where she did wing diyeliner. And I know she's like
really insecure about people telling her that she's copying me,
because every time she does something that I do, everyone
already pounces on her and tells her that. But I
made a fake out. I commented it, and then I
went back and looked an hour later, and her whole
video was deleted too.
Speaker 5 (15:57):
Pretty much just like make accounts all day on a
bank roll, like I've got them on payroll.
Speaker 6 (16:03):
Just make accounts and common shit all day on every
piece of her social media.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Is this what these people spend their whole time doing.
I mean, you see their daily vlogs. Maybe they need
to be a bit more honest. I spent the next
two hours just creating a ton of control.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Again, this was never in the Daily Blog.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Michaela went on to say that she was a demon,
but Anna Paul was the devil, and she said her
behavior was the result of spending too much time with Anna.
She also said the difference was that the polls had
painted Alice out to be this crazy ex girlfriend and
she didn't personally know Alice, whereas Anna actually did know her.
That is a good point because I feel like the
(16:39):
wall was being pulled over Michayla's eyes. So let's be honest,
most of us hate our partner's ex girlfriend.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
I mean we'll also have to remember these people's ages.
I mean that's clearly something that none of us would
ever ever do.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
These people are in their early twenties.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
I'm not making excuses for what they're doing, but it
is very juvenile behavior.
Speaker 5 (16:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
And Mikayla's been really upfront and taken accountability for what
she's done. She's always said, look, I haven't been a
good person in this. I should have spoken out, I
shouldn't have participated alongside the polls, And she did say
that again in her TikTok.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
There's been a lot.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Of speculation that perhaps Michayla and Veruka had finally been
gagged by Anna Paul's legal team, but Michayla finished by
saying this.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Everything I said is the truth. There is no legal
action from Anna. There won't be because she knows everything
I say.
Speaker 7 (17:24):
Is the truth.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
And Anna have a lot worse receipts than that voice message.
I could have used that in episode one of my podcast,
but I didn't. I've got some golden receipts and she
knows I'll pull those out in court and all of
her little money that she would have spent towards suing
me for defamation would have gone down the dream.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
That's why she never bothered.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
What I'm reading into this is perhaps they've agreed to
a bit of a truth.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
There's so much.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Back and forth happening at the moment, this airing of
dirty laundry, these voice notes. Maybe Anna has gone to
Michayla and said, look, if you say anything else about me,
I'm going to release X, Y and Z. Like maybe
there's a been a black about going on, and Mikayla's
been like, okay, I've had my say, let me release
this last one and that's where I'll finish things.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
See.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
I actually think that Mikayla has taken a step back
and realize that the more she talks about the situation,
the more it's diluting the serious message, and it is
becoming this petty slinging match and we're forgetting the real issue,
which is Adis Paul's behavior. And I actually think it's
really good that she's decided to take this offline now
and actually follow it up legally. And when you think
(18:29):
about the way a lot of these news stories break
and everyone's attention, this story has been going on for
over a month now, it was two months actually, well
two months, and I think that they've realized that it's
as terrible as it is to say, the people's interest
in it is drying up. Everyone was there for the
dirty details. I think that they've also realized they've done
(18:50):
enough damage to Addis and Anna's reputation. I mean, you
only have to look at Anna Paul's Coachella videos to
see her comment section is flooded with people telling.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Me how to get off. We don't want to hear.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
I think that they've realized that they've done all that
they can and now it's time for them to move
on happily with their own lives. I mean, Mikayla, she's
obviously trying to build a successful vlogging career on TikTok,
and her popularity is that it's peak at the moment.
So she doesn't want to be a one trick pony
and only showed that she can condemn this family. She
wants to show a different side of herself. Well, she
(19:21):
almost has to follow in Anna Poule's footsteps now and
just ignore the whole situation and move on and be positive,
which I think she's trying to do by sharing her
daily vlogs. I think she realizes that people are getting
a little bit tired of hearing the same thing about
Anna Poul over and over again.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
And I mean, I'm quite enjoying. I've been enjoying it.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
For two months, but it gets difficult to keep following.
You're like, hang on, I've missed that bit, and then
this person's talking about it, and this person's talking about it.
I wonder if Anna Poul will just take it longing
down though, or you know, because the voice note has
done her a lot of doubt, she's going to continue
to ignore. I mean, she's still posting that nothing's happened
on snapchat. I think that they're all going to get
back to ignoring, and you know, the damages that Anna
Poul has lost a million followers. She should have lost more.
(20:01):
I think if anyone listening to this podcast is still
following her, give her he unfollowed. Also, it's done so
much reputational damage. I know she's not an influencer who
works with a ton of different brands, but no brand
is going to want to touch her with a ten
foot pole. It's also done huge damage to her skincare brand.
Pol You say that, but she was still invited to
the Grand Prix. There's still eyeballs on her. I think
(20:23):
it will take a while for her to sign a
big brand deal again. But I mean, if you had
a brand, would you want to work with her?
Speaker 2 (20:30):
No, I wouldn't.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
But I don't think that she's canceled. I don't think
in this day and age that influencers can be canceled anymore.
I actually think that this has made her more famous
infamous as it be, and I think she'll be back.
I think now that she's been pushed down at tall
pubby syndrome, she's been cut down.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
She will return.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
She'll return without Adas by her side, which you will
be very difficult for her because it's quite apparent how
close they are.
Speaker 7 (20:55):
Hey, everyone. I just wanted to take a moment to
speak openly and honestly about video I posted that's been
taken out of context and caused a lot of confusion
and her.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
A three second clip of Amy Connor doing a salute
before heading off to work has resulted in the TikToker
receiving death threats, being stood down from work and a
police investigation. Kate, before we get into it. For our
listeners who aren't familiar.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
With her, who is Amy Connor Well.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
She's actually better known as Ames online and she's a
thirty nine year old registered nurse and mum from the
south coast of New South Wales. We actually interviewed her
on our Christmas special last year and Aims started out
creating content on TikTok as a way to stay sane
during the pandemic and also as a way to be
creative while she was on maternity leave, and she very
(21:43):
quickly cultivated an engaged audience by sharing fly on the
Wall style content of life at home with four children.
She now has one point two million followers on TikTok
and at one hundred and forty three thousand on Instagram. Now,
despite taking off as an influencer. Aimes still works casual
ship as a nurse, and she is far from being
(22:03):
a problematic influencer. Her content is very positive, wholesome and fun.
She's probably best known for creatively repurposing leftover food from
her kid's meals. So I was absolutely shocked and confused
when these accusations came out. And she's just an all
round legend. I have to say she's a lovely person.
When Amy and I interviewed her for Christmas, she was
(22:25):
so generous with her time. She's so smart. I love
the fact that she still has a career whilst working
as an influencer and also as a mom. And I
never thought we would be discussing some scandal involving Aims
on our podcast. I mean, I think she's even joked
about it on her TikTok before, when she said she
listened to Outspoken because she just loves hearing all.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
The drama that she's not involved in.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Let's get into what actually happened, because I feel like
there is a lot of miscommunication and crosswise. So two
weeks ago, Aime shared a video to TikTok documenting her
morning routine as a casual pulner and in a now
deleted clip from that video, Ames did a military style
salute with her left hand in the mirror before heading
(23:08):
off to work. Now off the back of that video,
Ames was accused by some followers of performing a Nazi
style salute, and the gesture is associated with Adolph Hitler
and is performed by extending the right arm from the
shoulder into the air. Yeah, and screenshots of Ames with
her arm in the air started circulating on TikTok and
(23:28):
other forums. Next came doctored versions of the video where
the salute was reversed to make it look like a
Nazi salute, and Ames ended up editing the salute out
of the original TikTok she uploaded, but the damage was
already done.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
In an interview with.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
News dot com do Au, Ames explained that she edits
her own TikTok footage and she didn't think anything of
the salute when she uploaded the video, so she was
left absolutely shocked when people started making accusations. The sad
thing is that Ames was simply salute fellow healthcare workers,
and she said in this interview that it was taken
(24:04):
out of context. People were reversing it and playing it backwards,
so it looked like the opposite of how I did it.
She said, I see the image and I'm scared of it.
The screenshot terrifies me. I'm having nightmares because this is
not me and that is not what I was doing.
When I see it in my head, I start shaking.
And she went on to say that she can understand
why people have gotten the wrong impression by the altered
images online or the out of context screenshots. This is
(24:27):
a very serious accusation to make against someone, particularly because
in January last year, it became illegal in Australia to
perform a Nazi salute in public. Now. The law was
introduced off the back of the rise in anti semitism
in Australia, and the accusation has been taken very seriously
because Ames ended up being stood down from New South
Wales Health while the matter was being investigated. After her
(24:50):
work was contacted, the police were then contacted to investigate. Now,
according to Ames, the salute has been cleared by the
police and the nursing board and the only reason she's
unable to return to work is because she violated social
media policies by filming herself and coworkers at work. Oh wow,
so they've said you're all clear of this accusation, but
(25:11):
hold on, we've noticed that you shouldn't actually be posting.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
About your job full stop now.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
New South Wales Police have also confirmed that they commenced
an investigation after reports of an offensive video posted on
social media. Following inquiries, no further police action is expected.
My heart's been feeling really heavy for Ames over this
whole ordeal because I think it has been completely taken
out of context and it really shows how a screenshot
can be manipulated and made to look a hell of
(25:38):
a lot worse than it actually is. Now. On Easter Saturday,
Ames posted an apology on social media. It was really
difficult to watch because she was visibly distressed and shaking
in it. She denied the gesture was a Nazi salute.
She also took a note out of Mikayla Tester's book
and read from notes on her phone.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Here's some of what she said.
Speaker 7 (25:59):
Hey everyone, I just wanted to take a moment to
speak openly and honestly about a video I posted that's
been taken out of context and caused a lot of
confusion and her I've decided to use notes to make
sure I don't miss anything and offend anyone Further, in
that clip I made that was intended to be a
soldier's salute, but a screenshot of that moment has been
(26:21):
circulated and accused of being a Nazi salute. I want
to be absolutely clear that was never my intention, and
I do not in any way support or condone hate
or extremism of any kind.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Now, Ames went on to apologize to military members for
any offense she caused. She said that she realized it
was not her place to use the gesture, even in
a lighthearted way, and in Ames's apology video, she also
confirmed that the incident had been reported to the police
and she's been cleared of any wrongdoing. What shot me
the most was hearing Ames talk about the impact that
(26:54):
the incident had had on her personally. She reveals she's
been receiving very concerning messages and even death threats against
her and her family, and she later confirmed that there
is now an open police investigation going on because she
fears for her own personal safety. Well for Ames, because
she does live her life so publicly online and people
could easily piece together where she lives. This threat would
(27:17):
feel very real for her exactly, you'd feel so vulnerable
with four young kids. Now, it's important to know that
Ames made a deliberate decision not to apologize to the
Jewish community. In an interview with news dot com do Au,
she explained that she didn't want to apologize over something
that she didn't do. She said, I didn't want it
to sound like I was admitting to guilt. I started
at my forehead, which is how a traditional soldier salute starts.
(27:39):
I was apologizing for that, but I wasn't doing a
Nazi salute. It'd be so easy to take out of
context again and the people would say, why are you
apologizing to them if you didn't do it.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
I think this was a very clever move by Ames.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
From a PR perspective, you should never admit guilt or
apologize for something that you didn't actually do. If she'd
release this official statement saying I apologize to the Jewel
Wish community for the offensive salute that I did, it
then just gives the media free reign to run with
the story saying an Aussie influencer has apologized.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
For doing a Nazi salute.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
You're right, but since then a leading member of the
Australian Jewish community has come out and condemned Ames's video.
Doctor Diva Abramovich, who is the chairman of the Anti
Defamation Commission and a leading force behind the national push
to ban public displays of the Nazi salute and swatsticker,
wrote in an opinion piece for The Nightly online publication.
(28:32):
He said, for Holocaust survivors, that outreached arm is not
a symbol of fitness or fun. It is the gesture
that marched six million Jews and millions of others to
their death. A gesture that once accompanied cries of Hail Hitler,
is now edited into a day in the Life montage
and seen by millions of followers. That is not just
poor judgment, It is a symptom of dangerous ignorance. This
(28:53):
is the outcome when history is not taught, when Holocaust's
education is sidelined, and when genocide is flattened into a trend.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
Now.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
He went on to say that the intent behind the
video was irrelevant because intent does not eraise impact, whether
accidental or deliberate, Performing a Nazi salute in any context
is an act that reopens wounds and desecrates memories. He
also went on to say it's not about cancel culture
or punishing someone forever. It's a matter of collective responsibility.
(29:19):
He wrote, because when influencers can post genocidal symbols without
grasping their weight, we have failed, not just as a
Jewish community, but as a nation. It is a deeply
distressing time for the Jewish community as a whole at
the moment. And I completely respect what doctor Abramovich had
to say on the matter.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
As someone who.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Isn't Jewish, I really can't begin to imagine how upsetting
the whole incident has been and how triggering it would
be in saying that, I believe the upset has been
unfairly caused by a lot of trolls who seem to
have manufactured this drama in an attempt to bring aims down.
I do feel like her gesture has been taken out
of context and also blown into something it was never
(29:59):
into to be, And I think we need to be
very wary because manipulating footage and taking screenshots out of
context to try and push a narrative against an influencer
is incredibly dangerous, particularly when it's this serious. It's a
criminal offense and labeling someone as a Nazi is life changing.
It's completely unfair and disrespectful to the Jewish community as
(30:21):
well to use them as a means to start a
witch hunt against an influencer. They're going through enough as
it is. I just feel like there's so many people
who are that desperate to bring down particular influencers that
they don't like, that they're willing to stop at nothing.
And it's really unfortunate that Ames edited the salute out
(30:42):
of the vlog because I've seen it and it has
been completely taken out of context, and the screen shots,
as you said, have been manipulated. They've made to look
completely different, and unfortunately people are now going off the
screenshots which are misleading, and the fact that this woman
and her young family are receiving death threats is a
polling yeah, as Ames said in an interview that people
(31:02):
accusing her of a crime don't understand the magnitude of
their actions now. Ames said that she would be taking
time offline over the Easter long weekend. She did return
last week to thank everyone for their love and support.
She also revealed that she has called Lifeline for support
over the weekend, and she said it's not the first
time she's actually used Lifeline services before. She actually called
(31:24):
them when she was going through a difficult time when
she was twenty five.
Speaker 5 (31:28):
Now.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
She did return to social media on Sunday, sharing a
week bit slice recipe and seems to be back to
her usual positive and fun content. The thing is when
you actually look at Ames's comment section and the reality
is that the people who know her and follow her
for her positive content, they haven't brought into any of this.
And that's a dangerous thing about TikTok. The people can
(31:49):
stumble across content who don't know the creator and take
it out of context. Yeah, I'm glad that Ames has
the backing of her community, but there are still news
articles now with her name and Nazi.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Attached to it.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
You can't get rid of those that The damage has
been done, and it makes me really annoyed that people
have to go out of their way to try and
destroy other people's reputation just because they might not like
them online. Like, Okay, I'm all for holding influences to
account when they do the wrong thing, but to take
something out of context and make it into something that
(32:24):
it's not to punish someone what because they repurpose their kids' leftovers.
We need to look at ourselves as a society and
be like this has just gone too far. It's like
someone saw this and thought, oh, this is an opportunity
to take advantage and take this out of context.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
We need, generally what it feels like.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
We need to look at people's intentions and their character.
I mean, when Elia Musk got up and did that
hand gesture, you could see why people jump to conclusions. Yes,
excauted his character, but in this instance, this.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Is a nurse, a mother of four, and.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Someone who shares positive content and uplifting content. Well, that
is where we're going to leave things today. Thank you
for listening to another episode of Outspoken. If you do
enjoy the show, we would love it if you could
leave us a review. Also share where you're listening to
the podcast from This podcast was recorded on the traditional
land of the Ghana people of the Adelaide Planes. We
pay respect to elders past and present.
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