Celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge has offered a brutal response to the TikTok ‘comedian’ who correctly predicted NSW’s daily case numbers for five days then addressed an anti-lockdown rally in Sydney – only to be left fighting for his life in a Covid-19 ward.
The no-nonsense My Kitchen Rules judge, 46, whose restaurant was forced to close due to the lockdown, shared a screenshot on Instagram on Thursday of a news article about Jon-Benard Kairouz’s recent hospitalisation.
He then mocked Kairouz, 24, for his conspiratorial views about Covid, writing: ‘How’s the f**king tin foil hat going now, bro?’
Celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge has offered a brutal response to the TikTok ‘comedian’ who correctly predicted NSW’s daily case numbers for five days then addressed an anti-lockdown rally in Sydney – only to be left fighting for his life in a Covid-19 ward
Dublin-born Fassnidge has been an outspoken voice for the hospitality industry during the Covid pandemic.
His restaurant was forced to shut its doors last year due to the lockdown and he later offered free takeaway meals to struggling Sydneysiders.
His generosity is in stark contrast to the selfish attitude displayed by his former MKR co-star Pete Evans, who spreads dangerous misinformation about Covid and vaccines to his rapidly dwindling audience on fringe social media apps.
The no-nonsense My Kitchen Rules judge, 46, whose restaurant was forced to close due to the lockdown, shared a screenshot on Instagram on Thursday of a news article about Jon-Benard Kairouz’s recent hospitalisation. He then mocked Kairouz, 24, for his supposedly conspiratorial views about Covid by writing: ‘How’s the f**king tin foil hat going now, bro?’
Daily Mail Australia was first to report Kairouz was in intensive care at St George Hospital in Kogarah, in Sydney’s south, after being diagnosed with coronavirus.
He is facing two counts of not complying with Covid-19 directions and one count of encouraging the commission of crimes after he attended a violent anti-lockdown protest in Sydney’s CBD on Saturday, July 24.
Mr Kairouz’s lawyer, Eidan Havas, told Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday his client was forced to give instructions from hospital where his father is also battling the virus, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
He pleaded not guilty to all three counts.
Jon-Bernard Kairouz (left) and his father Richard Kairouz (right) have been hospitalised with Covid-19. Jon-Bernard was removed from ICU on Wednesday afternoon, but his father continues to battle the deadly disease in hospital
Kairouz (pictured) shot to fame after he correctly predicted the daily number of NSW case numbers in NSW. He repeatedly insisted his predictions are the result of ‘simple maths’, but has not released a single video since his suspected leak was outed
‘This should highlight to everyone in NSW how serious Covid-19 is and everyone should be getting vaccinated and staying home in order to stop the transmission of this terrible virus,’ Mr Havas said.
The case has been adjourned to Sydney’s Local Downing Centre Local Court on October 26.
Kairouz was removed from ICU on Wednesday afternoon, but his father continues to battle the deadly disease in hospital.
Richard Kairouz, a gym owner, was admitted to hospital nearly a fortnight ago and has been placed in an induced coma in the intensive care unit.
A source close to the family said last week that they have been hit hard by Covid-19.
‘He was symptomatic … and kept deteriorating,’ they said, referring to Mr Kairouz senior.
‘[He] decided to go to hospital on the Saturday afternoon. The whole family is at home in isolation.
‘After predicting the Covid-19 numbers daily, [Jon-Bernard] couldn’t predict that he [his father] would contract it.’
Mr Kairouz (pictured) became known as ‘the TikTok guy’ after repeatedly revealing the NSW Covid tally hours before Premier Gladys Berejiklian earlier this year
Kairouz became known as ‘the TikTok guy’ after repeatedly revealing the NSW Covid tally hours before Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s 11am daily updates.
He predicted the case numbers for five days in a row in July, leading to speculation NSW Health had set up a ‘sting’ to catch a possible conspirator leaking the data.
His streak ended on July 19 with a prediction of 109 case numbers when the actual figure was 98.
Kairouz repeatedly insisted his predictions are the result of ‘simple maths’, but has not released a single video since his suspected leak was outed.
The TikTok star caused further controversy when he fronted a violent anti-lockdown protest in July, disappointing many of his 57,000 followers.
The self-appointed ‘people’s Premier’ spoke to a cheering crowd who gleefully clutched signs condemning lockdowns, masks and vaccines.
‘All we want is freedom,’ he told about 3,500 protesters on the Town Hall steps.
Kairouz fired up anti-lockdown protesters during an illegal rally in Sydney in July (pictured)
‘I must say I’ve crunched the numbers, I don’t think the cases are going to go up tomorrow.
‘From what I’ve calculated there’s over 50,000 people here today,’ he wrongly claimed.
But the stunt quickly backfired, with some of his fans questioning why he joined thousands of protesters and risked extending the city’s lockdown.
‘Hope you enjoyed the protest, because everyone has lost respect for you,’ one woman commented on one of the comedian’s TikTok videos.
‘You had a big rise and an even bigger fall, how hilarious,’ a second wrote.
‘Maybe he can predict how many people will be in court to greet him,’ a user joked.
NSW Police set up Strike Force Seasoned to track down all attendees at the protest, which health officials feared would become a coronavirus super-spreader event.
Officers arrested 63 attendees at the rally and a further 60 for a variety of offences, including striking a police horse and assaulting a police officer.
Kairouz is seen above when he was charged by officers near his family’s home on July 25
Kairouz was nabbed outside his home in Belmore, in Sydney’s south-west, on Sunday, July 25, when three detectives arrived to serve him his court attendance notice.
He was rounding the corner wearing a NSW Blues Origin jersey when a detective approached him and explained the criminal charge.
Kairouz interrupted him and motioned for officers not shown in the police video to move back.
‘I’m listening, yeah… can you just take it easy?’ he asked one of the other officers as a friend filmed the encounter.
The comedian appeared unworried when the notice was handed to him, thanking the police and telling them to ‘have a good day’.