Jacob Elordi is making it clear that he does not like Saltburn bathwater-inspired jokes. On Saturday 3 February 2024, rumours began to circulate that the actor had gotten into a physical altercation with British radio DJ Joshua Fox. While, at the time, it wasn’t confirmed what had caused the incident, it seems as though it might have had something to do with that scene from the recent 2023 eat-the-rich film.
According to BBC, Fox—who is a well-known radio DJ on Australian station KIIS FM—decided to track down Elordi when he heard that the actor was drinking at a bar in Sydney. Seemingly attempting to pull off a radio prank, Fox has alleged that Elordi became angry when asked to fill an empty container with his “bathwater.” I’m trying so hard to keep a straight face while writing this story, I won’t lie.
Speaking about the incident on one of Australia’s biggest radio shows, The Kyle and Jackie O Breakfast Show, Fox said that when he approached Elordi outside of the bar, the young actor was heard asking not to be filmed.
Fox then told the hosts he agreed to stop filming “because the joke didn’t land,” but asserted that Elordi continued to get right in the radio DJ’s face and demanded that he delete any footage.
Fox went on to explain that he refused, due to feeling intimidated and thereby wanting to preserve the footage as evidence of the confrontation. Following this, Fox alleged that Elordi “flipped,” pushed him against the wall, and put his hands on Fox’s throat.
Shortly after the altercation, police confirmed to BBC Newsbeat that it was investigating an alleged assault against a 32-year-old man by a 26-year-old male.
A lot of netizens pointed out how inappropriate it was for Fox to ask such a thing, defending Elordi’s actions and emphasising how it isn’t okay to sexualise an actor simply due to the roles they’ve played:
Elordi went from relatively unknown actor to Hollywood superstar in only a matter of years and has now become one of the industry’s most sought-after stars. It’s still unknown where the investigation might go, but I doubt that this will be the last time we hear about it.