Pete Evans taunts 60 Minutes and reporter Liz Hayes in a smug Facebook post

Anti-vaxxer and former MKR judge Pete Evans is convinced he’ll have the last laugh following his controversial interview with 60 Minutes.

The 47-year-old conspiracy theorist was given a platform to air his dangerous and unscientific views on national television Sunday night – and despite facing widespread backlash he seems to be claiming a victory for his cause.

In a telling Facebook comment as the episode went to air, Pete smugly told a supporter he was playing the media like a game of chess.

A fan had expressed disbelief Pete would ‘trust’ 60 Minutes to portray him fairly given the show’s track record for ‘sensationalism’.

The Paleo chef responded: ‘I trusted them to do what they do best – I hope that makes sense.’

‘This is a game of chess that I enjoy playing,’ he added. ‘Look who they sent in to do the interview and how this has been perceived.’

His reference to his interviewer, Liz Hayes, is interesting because Pete said last week he respected her for her journalistic integrity.

But the tone of his Facebook comment suggests he simply views her as a pawn in his game, to borrow from his chess metaphor.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment. 

During his rambling interview with Hayes, Pete claimed he was ‘skeptical’ of the coronavirus pandemic, vaccines and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates.

He even broke down in tears while ranting about how social distancing rules had robbed him of ‘free will’ by prohibiting him from hugging his elderly mum on Mother’s Day.

Later in the segment, Pete also suggested that he feared for his life due to his public profile and polarising opinions.

A 90-minute uncut version of the interview was also uploaded to Pete’s YouTube channel about the same time 60 Minutes went to air on the east coast.

In the unaired footage, he explained he had once supported mainstream medicine, but developed a ‘sense of skepticism and suspicion’ as he got older.

‘We as human beings are a collection of our experiences, of our learnings. When people who are presented with something that is different from that, it is shocking,’ he said.

He also gave a long-winded answer to the simple question of whether or not coronavirus exists, and even suggested he wasn’t at risk of contracting the virus because of his remarkable immune system.

Meanwhile, furious viewers flocked to Twitter to express their frustration with 60 Minutes for giving Pete a platform to peddle his unscientific and absurd ideas.

‘Why does the media keep giving him a soapbox? Seriously, NO sane person gives a flying f**k what he thinks and those who do, don’t access commercial media anyway,’ one viewer tweeted.

Another added: ‘Why are 60 Minutes giving Pete Evans free advertising? The whacko conspiracy stuff, the anti-vaccine BS etc are all designed to harvest eyeballs to sell his books, his supplements and processed foods.’