There were wild scenes outside Channel Nine’s North Sydney headquarters on Monday morning as the arrival of YouTube superstars Logan Paul and KSI drew a crowd of rowdy young super-fans.
Paul and KSI, who are in Australia to promote their buzz-worthy energy drink Prime, were booked for an interview on the Today show – their only breakfast TV appearance in the country.
More than a thousand fans – mostly teenage boys – gathered outside the building before dawn in the hope of catching a glimpse of their heroes arriving at the studio, with many determined to get on camera for their own viral moment.
Police and extra security were called at about 6am to help control the crowd and protect the Today show team, according to Nine News reporter Gabrielle Boyle.
There were wild scenes outside Nine’s North Sydney headquarters on Monday morning as the arrival of YouTube superstars Logan Paul and KSI drew a crowd of rowdy young super-fans
Stefanovic ventured outside at the start of the broadcast at 5:30am to meet some of Paul and KSI’s fans, and looked genuinely shocked by what he saw.
The crowd cheered as Stefanovic and his crew made their way along the building, where they were lined up around the corner and down the street.
At one stage, he joked the ‘smell of Lynx Africa’ was overwhelming.
As she spoke to the camera, a teenage boy approached Stefanovic from behind and threw an arm over his shoulder, prompting a security guard to usher him away.
But Stefanovic told his bodyguard to back off and invited the young man, named Ali, back on camera – prompting others to swarm the larrikin TV host.
One self-promoter put a green bucket hat on Stefanovic’s head then repeatedly yelled out his own Instagram handle.
Stefanovic ventured outside at the start of the broadcast at 5:30am to meet some of Paul and KSI’s fans, and looked genuinely shocked by what he saw. At one stage, a teen boy approached him from behind and threw an arm over his shoulder, prompting security to usher him away
Stefanovic told his bodyguard to back off and invited the young man back on camera, prompting others to swarm the larrikin TV host. One fan (left) dropped the F-bomb on live TV
One youngster in high-vis workwear filmed the crew as a hyperactive man in a hotdog suit ran up the camera and yelled something unintelligible
Another youngster in high-vis workwear filmed the crew as a hyperactive man in a hotdog suit ran up the camera and yelled something unintelligible.
Unfortunately, these family-friendly PG antics were spoiled by one rowdy reveller who dropped the F-bomb on live TV – which may result in a fine for the network.
This profanity was Stefanovic’s cue to leave as he told his co-hosts back in the studio, ‘Get into life! I’ll see you soon… I’ll try to get out.’
More than a thousand fans – mostly teenage boys – gathered outside the building before dawn in the hope of catching a glimpse of their heroes arriving at the studio, with many determined to get on camera for their own viral moment
Police and extra security were called at about 6am to help control the crowd and protect the Today show team, according to Nine News reporter Gabrielle Boyle (pictured)
A stunned Sarah Abo remarked: ‘Good luck, mate. If you weren’t awake yet, then that was certainly going to wake you up.’
‘I think the Lynx Africa wasn’t just coming from the fans, by the way,’ added Abo, who admitted she had to ‘google who Logan Paul was’ and baulked at Stefanovic’s suggestion their popularity was comparable to Beatlemania.
The Today show later did another live cross from the crowd, with Gabrielle Boyle interviewing several fans who spoke of how ‘inspirational’ they find Paul and KSI.
Back in the Today show studio, Stefanovic proved he was down with the kids by throwing up some fresh hand signs. Meanwhile, his co-host Sarah Abo smiled awkwardly
One young man said breathlessly: ‘I just love… the inspirational guy, inspirational man, just love the guy from the top. I’ve been saying since I was a kid, and I’m going to keep going throughout my life!’
Boyle explained the crowd had started to assemble at about 10pm the night, adding: ‘Look at this crowd. They reckon about a thousand people here already this morning.
‘We’ve got the police turning up just to make sure that it’s all safe. We’ve hired extra security. We promise you it’ll be under control, but I tell you what, the enthusiasm is not under control.’
It comes after Paul, who jetted into Australia with his model girlfriend Nina Agdal last week, held an impromptu fan meet-and-greet at Perth’s RAC Arena on Saturday.
His earlier scheduled event at Midvale Shopping Centre had been cancelled due to concerns over crowd safety.
The energy drink created by influencers-turned-boxers Paul and KSI has become incredibly popular among pre-teens and teenagers across the globe.
It is such a popular beverage that many are finding it hard to get their hands on, and in the UK a bottle can cost as much as £20 online.
Carnage broke out when Aldi got the drink in store for £2 shortly before Christmas.
At the time, scenes of pandemonium exploded in some stores, with children captured on video climbing over the aisles to try to get a bottle.
In some Aldi stores, the drink sold out within three minutes.
