Australian TV personality Matty Johnson criticised over ‘silence’ on friend Sam Wood’s domestic violence charges

Matty ‘J’ Johnson has come under fire online after appearing not to comment publicly on the domestic violence charges involving his friend Sam Wood.

The two men are both former Bachelor contestants and met their wives, Laura Byrne and Snezana Markoski, on the Channel Ten dating show. Together with fellow Bachelor alum Matt Agnew, they have maintained a close friendship in public and across social media.

But some social media users have criticised Johnson, 39, for not issuing a statement condemning domestic violence, particularly after Agnew, 39, and other reality television personalities connected to Wood spoke out.

“I am being flooded with messages praising Matt Agnew from The Bachelor for condemning DV. He is awesome,” activist account Warrior for Animals wrote.

“However, there is disappointment that another Matt, Matty J from Bachelor, has decided to go in the opposite direction on this…”

“It is entirely within Matty J’s legal right to speak out against DV broadly, and doing so is incredibly important for public figures given the gravity of this issue.”

The account claimed Johnson risked “losing fans” by failing to make “the most basic statement on domestic violence” after Wood was arrested and refused bail.

Warrior for Animals then shared a screenshot of Johnson’s Instagram profile and said the account had “unfollowed” him.

Several further screenshots were posted, showing comments from other followers who said they were disappointed by Johnson’s apparent silence.

Some of the messages sharply criticised the television personality and suggested his recent “Father of the Year” honour should be reconsidered because he had not taken a stronger public position.

Johnson was named the 2026 Australian Father of the Year by The Fathering Project at Admiralty House in Sydney last month.

Bachelorette star Angie Kent wrote to Warrior for Animals: “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?”

“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.”

“I don’t follow the Facebook groups or his podcast, so I’m not really in his zone of influence. But he’s always seemed like a safe and nice enough dude.”

“So let’s hope there’s a more solid explanation than fear of losing cash and protecting a mate.”

The account agreed, adding: “It’s pretty crazy for Matty J not to even have the most basic and generic statement on domestic violence.”

‘I am not surprised his fans are disappointed. It’s a scary thought if this is protecting a mate.’

The Daily Mail is not suggesting Johnson is ‘protecting’ Wood, only that some fans are upset he has not been more vocal since Wood’s arrest, while other reality TV figures have spoken out publicly.

The debate unfolding online reflects a broader question about how public figures should respond when high-profile allegations dominate the news cycle. Should influencers be expected to publicly denounce someone facing serious criminal charges because of the strength of community outrage, or is it more appropriate to refrain from comment while proceedings remain ongoing and allegations untested?

Several influencers and commentators have faced fierce backlash this week after noting that they do not know the full facts of the case, that the allegations have yet to be proven in court, and that Wood remains entitled to the presumption of innocence.

Others, however, have been hailed as champions of women for publicly condemning Wood, despite his lawyer disputing the strangulation allegation and indicating his client may rely on a self-defence argument.

Someone else said: ‘I know we should be directing our anger at Sam, but it’s men that are in positions like Matty that don’t speak up that are a big part of the problem.

‘And it’s just being an effing decent person. Without worrying about your own reputation. Women are literally dying.’ 

Johnson has seemingly been friends with Wood, 46, since they, along with their wives Byrne and Markoski, made a special guest appearance as ‘Bachelor royalty’ on season seven of the show in 2019, which starred Agnew.  

Despite Johnson appearing to stay silent on Sam’s arrest, Byrne spoke up about Wood’s charges on her Life Uncut podcast alongside Brittany Hockley. 

‘Sam Wood has been arrested for domestic violence charges. I think it’s absolutely abhorrent and disgusting and we don’t know exactly what’s gone down yet,’ Hockley, 39, said.

‘Somebody allegedly was taken out of the house that night into an ambulance. That’s all that has been released.’

Byrne responded: ‘That for me is enough to form a very strong opinion. I think sometimes domestic violence is quite othered. It happens in other families. 

‘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.’

The Daily Mail made multiple attempts to contact Byrne and Johnson for comment.

It comes after a court heard on Thursday that Markoski feared her celebrity fitness trainer husband was going to kill her during an alleged domestic violence attack at a beachfront apartment in the La Mer complex in Noosa.

Police also told Queensland’s Maroochydore Magistrates Court on the Sunshine Coast of an earlier ‘similar’ incident in Victoria, which did not proceed further at the time.

Wood was denied bail and will remain behind bars after his arrest on Saturday night when police were called to the family’s luxury apartment on Noosa’s Hastings Street.

Sergeant Janette Grigoris told the bail hearing that Wood’s stepdaughter Eve, 21, called Triple Zero and ‘referred to the victim having been choked’.

The prosecutor told the court Markoski thought she was going to die and is now living in fear of retribution from the former Bachelor star.

Sgt Grigoris said Markoski had not made a formal statement to police but had given a version of events in a video recording.

Sgt Grigoris said Markoski referred to being choked, banging her head on the floor and not being able to breathe.

She told police the alleged attack ended only when one of the children called out.

The court was shown photographs of her alleged injuries and was told Markoski supported the criminal charges against Wood.

Sgt Grigoris told the court of a ‘previous’ incident in Victoria that was ‘similar in nature’, to which police were called, but the victim did not make a complaint.

Sergeant Grigoris said Wood’s behaviour had been ‘escalating’.

Wood’s solicitor Mathew Cuskelly said his client denied strangling or assaulting his wife.

The court heard Wood may rely on self-defence if domestic violence charges over an alleged attack on his wife go to trial.