From war zones and red carpets to hosting the Today Show with brother Karl, Peter Stefanovic has seen more than your average journalist. He tells Matt Myers about life in the firing line, in more ways than one!
Your book Hack in a Flak Jacket tells of some pretty harrowing experiences. Was there a time where you thought “Oh shit! I’m packing it in”?
Peter Stefanovic: No, never. There were a couple of times where I thought “Oh shit!” because we got too close to something like a missile, but never to pack it in. There was so much adrenaline involved and it was a great real-life thrill ride. It was also a privilege reporting for Channel Nine and telling Australians back home what I was seeing and feeling.
It’s ironic that your flak jacket was never hit, yet you got injured back home in the Channel Nine car park!
(Laughing) That was when we had the Top Gear guys in with these motorised three-wheel bicycles. I’ve never been good on motorbikes, but I decided to get on because I thought it’d be fun. As soon as I took off, my leg got jammed between the exhaust pipe and a metal framing and I cut it open. I went back to the news desk to do an update and could feel the warm trickle of blood running down my ankle. I lifted up my suit pants and there was a big gaping wound! So I went to the hospital and got stitched up. I never did that as a correspondent!
The Paris attacks, Haiti Earthquake, Royal birth, Michael Jackson’s funeral…you’ve seen it all. Is there any one experience you hold close to your heart?
Yes in Haiti, there were a couple of children who I think about…most days actually. They had basically been ‘pancaked’ in their home by a building that fell on top of them. I saw them in a makeshift hospital that had been setup by Doctors Without Boarders, and came across Atina, a nine-year-old girl who was howling because she was getting a full body cast placed on her, due to so many broken bones. I reached down and held her arm thinking it might be of some comfort, and she just looked at me and stopped screaming. It was kind of a nice moment. Then there was Ferguson, a seven year old who had both legs amputated. He woke up while I was there and there wasn’t even a tear. He just wanted to go home, but apparently his didn’t have a home and his parents were dead. These things really put other things in perspective. You learn a lot about life in those places, especially in third world countries where all this nasty stuff tends to happen. But it’s the world’s poorest nations that often have the most generous people with a great outlook on life.
For the LGBTI community, the Orlando tragedy was like a stab to our hearts. Did you have to report on that story?
I was back in Australia on the Today Show, but one of the US correspondents covered it. There have been too many of these mass killings and they keep on happening. Unfortunately in America, you have a country that is reluctant or resistant to change in terms of its gun culture, and so long as that doesn’t change, these types of things are going to happen, and people from all kinds of communities are going to be affected. No matter who the victims are, we all kind of feel it.
How close do you think Australia is to legalising same-sex marriage?
I hope it’s just around the corner, because that’s what’s right. Other places are picking up on it, and I feel like we should be following suit. Frank Ocean sang a lyric in one of his songs, “I don’t believe that marriage should be between man and woman, it should be between love and love,” and I like that lyric, because I feel it’s correct. Frank Ocean is a gay singer in the States who works with Kanye West, and I love his music. It’s rare for a mainstream hip-hop artist to come out, but he was the first big name in recent years to do so.
Who is your diva?
Hmm I’m not sure, I know my brother said George Michael, and I’d probably agree with that because when we were growing up, we used to listen to his album Listen Without Prejudice all the time.
So in effect, you were actually listening without prejudice.
Yeah absolutely. We grew up in Cairns and there weren’t many people around who were listening to George Michael. In fact we might have been it! But that doesn’t matter, we enjoyed it.
Have you ever been mistaken as gay?
I think some of my friends thought I was gay, because I never dated that much. I was so focused on work, which always came first for a long time. But because I didn’t have a girlfriend, I think people assumed I was gay. But it didn’t really concern me and I took it as a compliment.
If you were gay, who would do it for you?
Oh Chris Hemsworth is so damn handsome! So is Hugh Jackman, and both are just really nice guys. Nice people are the best, and in many cases they happen to also be Australians! When I was a correspondent in the U.S. I interviewed Hugh a fair bit. He was so generous with his time, so entertaining, informative and nice! He can do it all – song and dance man, serious actor and can hold an intelligent conversation. Hugh Jackman is my kind of man!
What’s your porn name? (Your first pet and the street you grew up in)
My first pet was Rocky and my street was Summit, so Rocky Summit. Hey, that doesn’t sound too bad!
Does that mean that you and Karl have the same porn name?
No, because Karl’s older than me and there were a few other pets before I came along. I think he had a dog named Red before Rocky came along, so his porn name may very well be Red Summit, but I think mine sounds way better!
Apparently when you arrived home from overseas, you were greeted by a flash-mob of screaming girls. Please explain?
That was my brother again! Anywhere in my life Karl’s never too far away! He hired a band and a rent-a-crowd for when I came home in 2015. I arrived feeling a bit tired and noticed something was odd when the Qantas flight attendants were escorting me to the airport exit. I thought, “this is really great service”. Then low and behold, when the doors opened a band started up, there were ‘Welcome Home Pete’ signs with the crowd and cameras. When I look back, it’s pretty funny. I’ve got to hand it to him.
You recently got engaged to Today host Sylvia Jeffreys, and you’re moving to 60 Minutes. It looks like a busy year ahead!
Yes, it’s been busy for the past few years, but I’m looking forward to stepping in to the 60 Minutes team. Growing up, I watched the show and thought they had the most amazing time and adventure. I always thought it would be great to work there. For the past two years I’ve been working for Sixty Minutes on a part time basis, with a couple of stories, but now I get to do a whole lot more. It means more travel, but I’ll get to use the experience I’ve learned over the years as a correspondent.
Speaking of which, this is our travel issue. What’s your favourite place to visit?
I really enjoy European countries, because my family is European and I lived in England for five years. I love going back to America too because I lived there for three years. All these places feel like home, and I know it’s a cliché but I love Paris, and the big European cities such as Berlin and St Petersburg. I love the Middle East too. There’s a wild kind of energy there, with a strong and interesting history. Beirut is one of my favourite cities. It’s the Paris of the Middle East with a beautiful culture, and it’s parked on the Mediterranean.
Who’s the most famous person you’ve come to meet?
Over the years I’ve interviewed a lot of A-listers from doing the celebrity beat in Los Angeles, but I met the Queen and Prince Phillip when I was invited to Buckingham Palace. The Queen has a very strong handshake! But that night I ended up dropping my pavlova on the red carpet inside the Palace, leaving a big stain. I ended up getting kind of roused on by the minders! I guess I was so bloody nervous and excited to meet the Queen.
Your brother Karl also did this interview and we called him Current Affairs Cowboy. Having said that, surely you’d be the Current Affairs Commando?
I’ll buy that! Current Affairs Commando works!
Speaking of commando, are you a jocks, fitted boxers or…?
I’m a boxer briefs man. I like some tight comfort.
Especially working on the frontline!
(Laughing) That’s right!
60 Minutes is on Channel Nine Sundays
Hack In a Flak Jacket is available online and in stores
