Disgraced celebrity chef Pete Evans has been experimenting with his look since losing his $800,000-a-year job at Channel Seven in May.
And on Tuesday, the former My Kitchen Rules judge, 47, revealed his chilling new handlebar moustache in a video shared to Instagram.
Posting a short clip from his recent Zoom interview with one of his oddball friends, Evans’ 1980s-inspired facial hair made him look frankly terrifying.
Pete Evans’ chilling transformation: The disgraced anti-vaxxer has grown a bizarre handlebar moustache (left), as he moves off the grid with his family and loses touch with reality. Pictured right: Evans several years ago
The handlebar moustache rapidly declined in popularity in the 1990s when it came to be associated with backpacker murderer Ivan Milat.
Evans’ strange makeover comes just days after he accused Facebook of ‘shadow-banning’ his account.
The conspiracy theorist made the bold claim after noticing his engagement levels had dropped dramatically and his reach was ‘disappearing by the day’.
Posting a short clip from his recent Zoom interview with Dr Zach Bush, Pete (left) proudly sported 1980s-inspired facial hair reminiscent of Milat’s (right) infamous handlebar moustache
Unfortunate association: The handlebar moustache rapidly declined in popularity in the 1990s when it came to be associated with backpacker murderer Ivan Milat
A ‘shadow-ban’ refers to when a social media platform makes a user’s content harder to find instead of blocking them completely.
In a desperate call to action on Saturday, Evans told his followers to share his posts with their friends because people aren’t seeing his content organically.
Evans wrote: ‘My reach is disappearing by the day as they shadow ban my page… which is why I invite you to share as you all can have a much farther reach than I can.’
In the dark: It comes after Pete revealed he’s convinced that Facebook has ‘shadow-banned’ his account after his engagement levels dropped dramatically this month
Covidiot: Pete told fans last week that his ‘reach is disappearing by the day’
Instead of permanently removing somebody from a website, some social media users believe a shadow-ban still allows them to post freely, but makes their content and profile harder to find.
It’s believed that a shadow-banned account on Instagram or Facebook won’t appear in any searches unless the entire username is typed in, nor will the account appear in any hashtag searches.
Facebook has previously denied the practice of shadow-banning.
Despite these denials, the California-based social media company has reportedly patented a shadow-banning method.
Help me! In a desperate call to action on Saturday, Evans told his Facebook followers to share his posts with their friends because people aren’t seeing his content organically
Hidden: Instead of permanently removing somebody from a website, some social media users believe a shadow-ban still allows them to post freely, but makes their content and profile harder to find. (Facebook has previously denied the practice of shadow-banning)
In recent months, Facebook has taken steps to limit the spread of misinformation and fake news on its platform by removing content, employing a global network of fact-checkers and directing users to health authorities offering credible information.
Several months ago, Evans’ documentary The Magic Pill was quietly removed from the streaming platform Netflix after its contract came to an end.
The film had copped significant backlash from health professionals since its 2017 release for falsely suggesting that the Paleo diet can potentially cure illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, autism and heart disease.
After three years on Netflix, anyone who tries to access the film now gets a 404 Not Found page. The 404 page is accompanied by the text ‘Lost Your Way?’, which ironically is what many people have been saying about Evans recently.
Removed: It comes after Evans’ documentary The Magic Pill was recently removed from the streaming platform Netflix after its contract came to an end
Bye! After three years on Netflix, anyone who tries to access the film now gets a 404 Not Found page
Meanwhile, Evans is already preparing for a total ban from all major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
He has set up his own platform, Evolve Network, where he screens his self-produced documentary films, and has joined cloud-based instant messaging service Telegram.
In addition to embracing alternative digital spaces, Evans is also taking steps to distance himself from modern society by moving to an off-grid alternative lifestyle community.
The Nightcap Village in Wollumbin, NSW, has no running water or power, and – according to Evans – encourages ‘self-reliance, self-empowerment, connection to Earth, connection to spirit, connection to each other’.
Evans has been involved in a string of controversies since being sacked by Channel Seven earlier this year for his extreme views.
In July, he claimed that COVID-19 was a ‘f**king hoax’ and that the pandemic ‘doesn’t compare to what is happening in the world on a large scale’.
He has also encouraged people to ignore government safety measures, such as the order to wear masks in public in Victoria, and to challenge fines through the courts.
Among his false claims about the pandemic, Pete has previously declared he’s immune to coronavirus, and blamed the health crisis on 5G technology.
He recently endorsed fellow conspiracy theorist David Icke, a Holocaust denier who was denied entry to Australia last year after protests from the Jewish community.
Divisive: Evans has been involved in a string of controversies since being sacked by Seven earlier this year for his extreme views. In July, he claimed that COVID-19 was a ‘f**king hoax’ and that the pandemic ‘doesn’t compare to what is happening in the world on a large scale’
It is not suggested that Evans endorses the views of Icke relating specifically to Holocaust denial or the Jewish people. He instead supports Icke’s views on globalist conspiracy theories and media manipulation.
Evans’ central belief is that ‘food is medicine’ and that by following a Paleo diet, people can develop superhuman immune systems that can withstand all illnesses, including COVID-19.
There is absolutely no scientific basis for this. Following a particular diet does not make a person any less likely to contract the deadly respiratory virus.
Not true: Evans’ central belief is that ‘food is medicine’ and that by following a Paleo diet, people can develop superhuman immune systems that can withstand all illnesses, including COVID-19. There is absolutely no scientific basis for this. Following a particular diet does not make a person any less likely to contract coronavirus