For better or for worse, no one can stop talking about the infamous bathwater scene in Saltburn, and now one person’s crude joke about the scene has allegedly left Jacob Elordi under police investigation. Police are currently probing an alleged physical altercation between Elordi and a radio producer.
Elordi is one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising stars, recently heading two of 2023’s most-talked-about movies, Priscilla and Saltburn. He is the most recent actor to take on the role of Elvis Presley for Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla. Meanwhile, in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn, he portrays an aristocratic student at Oxford opposite Barry Keoghan. While he first broke onto the Hollywood scene in Netflix’s The Kissing Booth film series and HBO’s Euphoria, this year saw him become a leading man on the big screen and the muse of two prolific female directors.
Despite his quick rise to fame and status as a heartthrob among Gen Z, he has kept his personal life largely private. Previously, the biggest “controversy” he was involved in was when he criticized The Kissing Booth trilogy. So it was quite surprising when news broke that he was involved in a police investigation.
Why Jacob Elordi is under police investigation
So far, neither Elordi nor his team have publicly addressed the alleged altercation, making it difficult to get a complete picture of what happened. However, Joshua Fox, the radio producer involved, has provided his account of the incident, while New South Wales Police officially confirmed that an investigation is underway. The news broke on January 4 that Elordi was involved in a physical altercation with Fox near a hotel in Sydney, Australia’s Easter Suburbs. On January 5, Fox appeared on The Kyle & Jackie O Show, which he produces, to share further details of the incident.
Fox says he got wind that Elordi was at a nearby beer garden and decided to approach the actor with a Saltburn-related “joke.” The producer was recording during their encounter, and The Kyle and Jackie O Show included the actual audio from Fox’s footage. Fox can be heard introducing himself before saying, “Really random, but could I give you this? Jackie wants a birthday present.” At this point, Fox allegedly handed Elordi a Tupperware labeled “Jacob Elordi’s bath water.” For those who are unfamiliar with Saltburn, there is a scene where Elordi’s character masturbates in a bathtub, and Keoghan’s character proceeds to drink the semen-infused bathwater.
Fox apparently thought it would be funny to ask Elordi to fill the tube with his “bathwater,” so the producer could then gift it to the female host of The Kyle & Jackie O Show. When Elordi realizes what the producer is implying, he can be heard saying, “You’re kidding. Are you filming? Can you not man, please?” The audio ends here, as Fox complied with Elordi’s request to stop filming. Fox also claimed he agreed with Elordi’s request not to use the footage. However, Elordi then allegedly got in Fox’s face, backing him against a wall and demanding he also delete the footage, including from the recently deleted folder, which Fox refused to do. At this point, Fox claimed, “Jacob kind of just flips, and he kind of pushes me against the wall, and his hands are on my throat.”
One of Elordi’s companions intervened and separated the men, after which Fox quickly walked away. However, Fox alleged one of Elordi’s companions followed him and requested he keep the footage private and not tell anyone what happened. Although Fox didn’t go to the police, it’s believed the authorities learned of the incident from a witness or the media and subsequently reached out to Fox for a statement.
Police statement on the altercation
The New South Wales Police issued a brief statement to Variety, confirming that the incident was being investigated. The statement read:
Officers attached to Eastern Beaches Police Area Command are investigating after a man was allegedly assaulted outside a hotel in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. Police were told about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday 3 February 2024, a 32-year-old man was allegedly assaulted by a 26-year-old man. The man did not sustain any injuries. Inquiries into the incident is continuing.
While the statement confirms an altercation occurred, it doesn’t confirm any of the details from Fox’s account. While it’s unclear what truly went down, it is worth noting that The Kyle and Jackie O Show has been involved in its own fair share of controversies involving hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O. The pair have often used their platform to make false and defamatory statements about others, even facing legal action from NRL player Kieran Foran for this reason. Meanwhile, the show was temporarily suspended and faced an investigation in 2009 when the hosts hooked a 14-year-old girl to a lie detector and asked her questions about her sexual history.
The show’s history of making false and defamatory statements raises concern over the validity of Fox’s account. Additionally, the incident has renewed conversation over what is appropriate for the press to ask celebrities and the necessity to respect celebrities’ boundaries. So far, no charges have arisen from the investigation. It remains to be seen if Elordi will respond to the situation or if Fox’s account will be confirmed.
(featured image: Frazer Harrison / Getty)
