Former The Bachelor star Matty ‘J’ Johnson has spoken publicly for the first time about the domestic violence allegations involving Sam Wood.
In a lengthy Instagram statement shared on Friday, the 39-year-old said he felt “ashamed” that he had once viewed the 46-year-old celebrity fitness trainer as a role model.
Johnson also reflected on how easily a polished public persona can be mistaken for an accurate picture of someone’s private character.
Looking back, Johnson recalled the first time he encountered Wood and the impression the fitness entrepreneur made on him.
“I remember the first time I saw Sam Wood. He was getting out of a flashy European car, dressed sharply, when someone approached him for a photo,” he wrote.
“At the time, it felt like a snapshot of the public image he had created. To me, it looked like genuine success.”
Former The Bachelor star Matty ‘J’ Johnson, 39, right, has spoken out about the domestic violence charges involving fellow former Bachelor star Sam Wood, 46, left
In a statement posted to Instagram on Friday, Johnson said he was “ashamed” that he had once considered the celebrity fitness trainer a role model
Johnson, who met Laura Byrne while starring on the fifth season of The Bachelor in 2017, said Wood initially appeared to embody his vision of the ideal family man.
“At that point in my life, in my late 20s, I was looking for a benchmark. Someone who seemed to have everything worked out — someone whose life I could look at and think, that’s the kind of man I want to become.”
However, Johnson was keen to correct any suggestion that he and Wood had been close friends, despite appearing together publicly on several occasions.
“I want to make this very clear: I am not, and never have been, a close friend of Sam’s,” he said.
“We were both on the same television show, and our paths crossed a handful of times as a result.”
Johnson said Wood contacted him after his season of The Bachelor aired, suggesting they meet if Johnson was ever in Melbourne.
Although they did eventually catch up, Johnson stressed that their interactions were infrequent and limited.
“From the outside, Sam appeared to have everything: a happy marriage, beautiful children, successful businesses and a reputation as a genuinely good bloke,” he continued.
Johnson rejected claims that he and Wood were close, despite their appearances together over the years. He is pictured with Wood and fellow Bachelor star Matt Agnew
“He seemed to represent a version of masculinity that was very easy to admire.”
“I believed I understood what his life stood for. The truth is that, like everyone else, I knew very little about the person behind the image.”
The reality television star said he was stunned when he first heard the allegations against Wood, who was refused bail on Thursday after being charged with domestic violence offences involving his wife, Snezana.
During the hearing at Maroochydore Magistrates Court, prosecutors alleged Wood pushed his wife into a wardrobe, grabbed her by the throat, threw her against a wall and struck her head against the floor during an incident at the family’s luxury Noosa apartment.
The court heard Snezana feared she was going to die during the alleged attack.
Wood has denied the allegations, with his legal team indicating he intends to defend the charges and may rely on self-defence.
Johnson said the allegations had forced him to reconsider his understanding of success, masculinity and the qualities that make someone a good man.
‘What makes this so confronting isn’t just the gravity of the allegations. It’s how they contradict the image many of us had mistakenly formed of him,’ he said.
It comes after a court heard on Thursday that Snezana feared her celebrity fitness trainer husband was going to kill her during an alleged domestic violence attack at their beachfront apartment in the La Mer complex
Johnson revealed he regretted having once viewed Wood as someone worth emulating.
‘I feel ashamed that I once looked up to Sam as someone I wanted to emulate,’ he said.
‘I feel deeply for Snezana and her children, who are facing trauma I can only begin to imagine.’
He also urged men to take greater responsibility for challenging harmful attitudes and behaviour among their friends.
‘As men, we have to do more than simply say we’re against domestic violence. We have to look at ourselves.’
Johnson argued that men needed to challenge outdated ideas about masculinity, particularly those that equate strength with control or power over a partner.
He also called on fathers to teach their sons that respect for women must extend beyond public gestures and good manners.
‘We need to teach our boys that respect isn’t simply about how they treat the women they want to impress. It’s about how they treat women when they’re angry, when they’re rejected, and when they feel powerless.’
Despite Johnson previously appearing to stay silent on Sam’s arrest, his wife Laura spoke up about Wood’s charges on her Life Uncut podcast alongside Brittany Hockley
He concluded his statement with a reflection on the qualities he once associated with Wood’s success.
‘The measure of a man has never been the car he drives, the money he makes or the image he projects to the world. It is how he treats people, and even more so – how he treats people when no one is watching.’
His comments come after the newly crowned Australian Father of the Year attracted criticism from fans and fellow reality TV personalities for not publicly addressing the charges against his fellow Bachelor alumnus.
Earlier this week, activist Instagram account Warrior for Animals singled out Johnson for his apparent silence, contrasting his response with that of fellow Bachelor star Matt Agnew, who had publicly condemned domestic violence.
‘I am being flooded with messages that are praising Matt Agnew from The Bachelor for condemning DV. He is awesome,’ the account wrote.
‘However, there is disappointment that another Matt (Matty J) from Bachelor has decided to go the opposite direction on this…’
The account went on to criticise Johnson for not issuing even a general statement condemning domestic violence, before revealing it had unfollowed him.
Former Bachelorette star Angie Kent also weighed in, questioning why high-profile men who promote themselves as family-oriented role models were not speaking out.
‘To profit off a public profile selling the ‘fairytale ending’, talking about and directing everyone else and then hide behind silence when a crisis happens?’ she wrote in a message shared by Warrior for Animals.
‘I hope it’s not about protecting profits because that’s gross. And I hope it’s not about loyalty because no amount of friendship excuses strangling anyone. Ever.
‘Having privilege and a platform means using it when it actually matters, not just when it’s convenient or profitable. I hope this isn’t the case.’
However, she acknowledged she did not know Johnson personally and hoped there was an explanation for his apparent silence.
‘But he’s always seemed like a safe and nice enough dude,’ she added.
‘So let’s hope there’s a more solid explanation than fear of losing cash and protecting a mate.’
There is no evidence Johnson’s previous silence was motivated by financial concerns or a desire to protect Wood.
His wife, Laura Byrne, had already addressed the allegations on her popular Life Uncut podcast alongside co-host Brittany Hockley.
Byrne, who shares three children with Johnson, said the allegations highlighted how domestic violence could occur in families regardless of wealth, social standing or public reputation.
‘That for me is enough to form a very strong opinion. I think sometimes domestic violence is quite othered. It happens in other families,’ she said.
‘It happens with people who have alcohol or abuse issues. This is such a clear example that domestic violence can happen no matter your social standing.
‘No matter how much money you have. No matter how elite you are or the profile you’ve built… This to me is just such a clear example of how deep it runs within our culture within Australia and this can exist within every household.’
Johnson’s statement comes as Wood remains behind bars following his arrest at the family’s luxury apartment in the La Mer complex on Noosa’s Hastings Street last Saturday night.
During Thursday’s bail hearing, police prosecutor Sergeant Janette Grigoris told the court Wood’s stepdaughter Eve, 21, had called Triple Zero and reported that her mother had allegedly been choked.
The court heard Snezana told police she had struggled to breathe during the alleged assault and feared her husband was going to kill her.
Prosecutors also alleged Wood’s behaviour had been ‘escalating’, with police revealing they had previously attended a ‘similar’ incident involving the couple in Victoria.
The court heard that earlier incident did not result in a formal complaint.
Photographs of Snezana’s alleged injuries were presented during the hearing, while prosecutors told the court she was living in fear of retribution.
Wood’s solicitor Mathew Cuskelly disputed the prosecution’s version of events, maintaining his client denied strangling or assaulting his wife.
Acting Magistrate Janelle Boegheim ultimately refused bail.
Wood remains entitled to the presumption of innocence, and the allegations against him have not been proven in court.
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