Andrew Bolt has blasted ABC host Charlie Pickering for lying about Rebel News journalist Avi Yemini’s viral street interview outside the broadcaster’s South Bank headquarters. The "problematic" saga between Charlie Picking and Grace Tame has exposed what critics say is the ABC’s culture of enforced conformity and left-wing bias.

🚨 Andrew Bolt BLASTS Charlie Pickering for LYING about our interview after the leftist mob came for his job

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Then head to https://t.co/EM2r6wUJ3k and support the campaign they're trying to shut down. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TOGyIulPEx

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) June 10, 2026

On The Bolt Report, the Sky News host played the original footage in which Pickering, one of the ABC’s biggest names in comedy and current affairs, was asked by Avi Yemini about the national broadcaster hiring former Australian of the Year Grace Tame to host a podcast on autism.

Pickering replied: “I do actually think it’s problematic. That’s my personal opinion.”

The context was raw. Tame called for an “interfada in Australia” shortly after 15 people were massacred at a Jewish festival in Sydney. Pickering, who is Jewish, appeared to voice genuine discomfort at Tame being rewarded with a gig at the ABC.

But the candour didn’t last. The very next day, Pickering issued a full reversal on air. He claimed he had been “ambushed by a known provocateur” and would “never have agreed or planned to be interviewed by that person.”. 

He then lavished praise on Tame: “I am very disappointed that there is a suggestion that I am against Grace Tame or that she is not an appropriate host of a podcast about autism. This is simply untrue. I’ve always been a big fan of Grace Tame.”

Bolt wasn’t convinced and tore into the about-face, accusing Pickering of lying about the encounter. He highlighted how the 10-minute exchange showed no distress or attempt to leave. In fact, Pickering himself kicked things off by saying: “Let’s interview each other” while also acknowledging Avi Yemini as a journalist. 

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Joining Bolt on the panel was media and PR expert Lisa Goddard and Sky News host Danika De Giorgio, who both slammed the reversal by pickering.

De Giorgio said it revealed the ABC’s intolerance for independent thought: “It says to me that anyone who works for the ABC can’t be a critical thinker… They’ve got to keep with that line of the ABC, that left wing bias, don’t bother straying away from the narrative because you might lose your job.”

🚨 Charlie Pickering is getting CANCELLED in real time

The ABC star just discovered what happens when you slightly disagree with the activist class he's spent years defending.

The funniest part is that his new critics clearly haven't watched the full exchange. pic.twitter.com/HcJkrIbcPG

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) June 3, 2026

She pointed out Pickering had options to decline to comment, refer it to his employer, or simply walk away but instead engaged for a full 10 minutes with Avi Yemini.

Goddard agreed the statement sounded “word for word” like a pre-written script: “Most people in Australia won’t take the time or have access to the full video… So we’re being told, well, what you actually see and what you actually hear isn’t, can’t be believed.”

The hypocrisy is glaring. An ABC personality who regularly dishes out commentary suddenly claims victimhood when his own unscripted words draw scrutiny from a journalist like Avi Yemini simply doing his job outside a public protest alleging ABC editorial bias. It appears the leftist mob came for his job, forcing the rapid backdown.

Pickering’s backflip has only amplified the original clip captured by Yemini and handed critics fresh ammunition in the long-running debate over the ABC’s institutional culture. Grace Tame’s appointment remains contentious given her past comments, while the broadcaster’s track record on sensitive issues has deepened public distrust.

Charlie Pickering discovered what happens when you upset the activist class.

Instead of standing by what he said, he cowered, rewrote history, and performed an Olympic-level backflip.

Even Sky News couldn't believe it.

👉 https://t.co/LMIUIF4xwZ pic.twitter.com/HO0l7urnDO

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) June 7, 2026

What began as a casual street chat has become a textbook example of damage control at the taxpayer-funded network. Bolt and his panel did what the ABC often resists: hold a mirror up to its internal pressures.

Australians deserve better than scripted reversals from their national broadcaster. The full footage is public. Watch it and decide for yourself.