Pete Evans

Pete Evans is an Australian celebrity chef, former judge on the television series My Kitchen Rules, and cookbook author. He built a large following through mainstream television and his promotion of paleo diet principles. In subsequent years, his public commentary expanded to include health claims, vaccine skepticism, and conspiracy theories that resulted in permanent bans from Facebook and Instagram and the loss of major professional relationships.

In 2015, Evans published a baby food cookbook that included a bone broth formula recipe. Australian health authorities warned that the recipe's vitamin A content could be dangerous to infants. The publisher added a disclaimer to the book. Evans maintained that the recipe was based on traditional nutritional principles and disputed characterizations of the risk.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Evans promoted a BioCharger device — a $15,000 light and frequency therapy product — on a paid cooking show livestream and referenced it in connection with the coronavirus. Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration fined the company associated with the device's promotion. Evans also shared anti-vaccine content and posted an image that was widely characterized as featuring neo-Nazi symbolism, which he subsequently addressed after public backlash.

Following these incidents, Facebook and Instagram permanently removed his accounts for violations of their health misinformation policies. Pan Macmillan terminated its publishing relationship with him, Australian retailers removed his products from shelves, and Channel Seven removed him from My Kitchen Rules. Evans characterized many of the consequences as political and stated his views on health and medicine were being suppressed. He continued his work through independent channels following the mainstream career consequences.