Latest news with #LukeBateman
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Footy and reality TV star Luke Bateman built up a huge TikTok following with Aussie women - then they turned on him over one video
One-time NRL star Luke Bateman is at the centre of a social media storm after posting a video announcing he has signed a book deal, with many of his former fans accusing him of benefiting from 'white male privilege'. Bateman, 30, has become an online sensation after revealing his interest in risqué romance and fantasy novels in a series of videos. The former Canberra Raiders lock - who also appeared on The Bachelor in 2023 - has amassed 175,000 TikTok followers at the time of writing. Earlier this week, Bateman took to social media to announce that he recently signed a two-book deal with Atria Books Australia. 'This is a childhood dream come true for me. I've wanted to be an author my whole life, so it really blows me away,' he said. However, the announcement has sparked fierce backlash and debate about equity in the publishing industry. 'A white man getting a book deal without having written anything? My jaw stayed right where it was,' replied one user, with the comment getting more than 5000 likes. 'This opportunity is the intersection of white privilege, male privilege, and pretty privilege. Not a reflection of worth,' posted another. 'Well good to see that publishing is still a colossal joke,' replied a third. TikTok users even posted their own video reactions to the news to express their outrage. 'A white man joined BookTok on April 22 and less than two months later achieved getting a two-book epic fantasy deal with Atrium books that he credits to his success on BookTok,' said @grapiedeltaco. 'We don't have very many details of what he's already written, but it seems like he didn't even have a manuscript. 'Like it seems like he had a concept, which is something that many established authors who have already been traditionally published can't even manage.' Bateman has addressed the flood of criticism, insisting he understands the anger that's been levelled at him. 'I wholeheartedly understand how angry and resentful these things would make people,' he said. 'I obviously have advantages that other people don't. How do I capitalise on those to help lift everyone up? Because I feel like dragging people down leaves everyone at the bottom, whereas a rising tide lifts all ships. 'And if I can use my platform and my voice and my privilege and position in society to help uplift others, I say, that is what books are about.' Bateman, who has lots of female admirers, is believed to be single following his split from Ellie Rolfe last year. The pair met on The Bachelor and connected - but eventually went their separate ways. 'Ellie and I would like to keep our relationship private,' Bateman said at the time. 'She has a soul that lights up every room she walks into and I will sorely miss it in my life.' On the footy field, Bateman chalked up 71 appearances for the Raiders between 2015 and 2019. A knee injury ended his career - and before his NRL debut, Bateman in 2014 publicly had to confirm he wasn't gay. It followed an on-field slur from current Parramatta Eels halfback Mitchell Moses, who was playing for NSW against the Maroons in an under-20s match. 'I'm not gay,' Bateman said. 'I've had plenty of people from the gay community write to me or contact me on Twitter giving messages of support.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
BookTok turns on Luke Bateman after career announcement
The 'hot' farmer who went viral for his love of books has responded after some fans turned on him after he announced a brand-new development in his career. Luke Bateman, who played for the Canberra Raiders and appeared on The Bachelor before taking BookTok by storm earlier this year, took to the video sharing platform this week to announce he had signed a two-book deal with Atria Books Australia, a division of Simon & Schuster. 'This is a childhood dream come true for me. I've wanted to be an author my whole life, so it really blows me away,' he said. Mr Bateman said after he got the call he 'cried so much' and thanked his support online, saying the opportunity only came because of his recent following. 'I can't wait to write this book, it's going to be an epic fantasy book and I can't wait to put my heart on the page for all of you,' he said. It's not clear whether anything had already been written, or if only a concept had been pitched, when Mr Bateman landed the deal that is set to be a coming of age story. While Mr Bateman initially got a lot of support when he entered the BookTok community — a place where avid readers bond over novels — some were outraged at his recent news. British creator @josie_library said there were 'so many' authors on TikTok who were 'dying' for a publishing deal. 'And a man, without having ever written anything, got a two-book deal from an idea. Stop it. Not mad at the man, but Simon & Schuster what the f*** are they doing,' she said. 'Like, don't get me wrong if that was me I would hop on that train immediately — even if I can't write for sh*t. But, what do you mean? 'As a publishing company with a marketing team, I think Simon & Schuster just continuously drop the ball.' Meanwhile, @grapiedeltaco said a 'white man' joined BookTok on April 22 and 'less than two months later achieved getting a two-book epic fantasy deal'. 'We don't have very many details of what he's already written, but it seems like he didn't even have a manuscript. Like it seems like he had a concept, which is something that many established authors who have already been traditionally published can't even manage,' she claimed. Australian advocate Jeff Kisubi also weighed in, saying; 'Meanwhile, Black and marginalised authors, especially women and gender-diverse creatives, are out here with finished, powerful stories that still get overlooked. 'This isn't just about talent. It's about who the industry chooses to believe in before the work even exists, privilege both racial and gendered, which shapes who get a head start and who's told to prove themselves over and over again.' has contacted Mr Bateman and Simon & Schuster for comment. Mr Bateman has since addressed the criticism, stating he 'wholeheartedly understood' the anger and frustration from the author community. 'I obviously have advantages that other people don't. How do I capitalise on those to help lift everyone up because I feel like dragging people down leaves everyone at the bottom whereas a rising tide lifts all ships,' he told Chattr on Wednesday. 'And if I can use my platform and my voice and my privilege and position in society to help uplifts others, I say, that is what books are about.' He said for his book deal to ignite such a reaction, it was obviously something 'very close to their heart'. He also said he recognised that he has never experienced the same barriers or discrimination as some others, and that he held so much love for these people. Mr Bateman said the reaction didn't take away from the joy he felt, saying two things could be true at the same time. He added that a lot of the conversations he's now having are new to him. The farmer previously told Yahoo Australia that he reached out to a publisher six months ago to pitch a book but never heard back from them. 'Then, all these TikToks took off, and my management company reached out to a few publishers and said, 'Hey, Luke has a book that he'd like to pitch, would you be interested',' he told the publication. 'She said, 'I'd love to be able to publish all of them with you, let's get started,' and yeah, that's how it came about!' Many defended Mr Bateman, who was dubbed the 'hot booktokker' when he initially went viral. 'All haters please note: a 60 second video does not tell you every detail of a person's life. Don't assume there isn't a manuscript or that this hasn't been something in the works for some time. Question your assumptions, because that's all they are, assumptions,' one said. QBD Bookstores commented: 'Congratulations Luke! We can't wait to read your debut book!!' Another said: 'Why the hate? Why is it about race? Why is it about gender? The double standard has got to stop. We made him famous. Now we are tearing him down? He did nothing wrong. Right place at the right time. Say congrats and move on! And if the book is good or bad, remember reading is subjective. Congratulations! I wish you all the best! This is an insane opportunity!' Earlier this month, Mr Bateman spoke to about how he came to be on BookTok — and how he'd always been an avid reader. 'I've just never ever had anyone to discuss books with obviously being a male in sporting circles and I've never had mates or friends around me who are readers,' he told So, he posted a video introducing himself to the community after two of his female friends told him that's where he would find his people. BookTokers were immediately drawn to the Aussie's casual style and tendency to post from the seat of a tractor wearing an Akubra style hat. The clip racked up 1.9 million views and gained Bateman 136k followers in just days. Currently, on his public Instagram, he has 17,000. Mr Bateman, who is originally from Queensland, was welcomed to the social platform by the likes of popular influencers Alright Hey and Blue Eye Kayla Jade. 'This poor guy just wanted to talk about books,' one social media user said. Another added: 'Are we all in love with him or just me?' Mr Bateman said he had a love for reading since he was very young, but was convinced this habit was nothing to be proud of. He said his first memory of reading comes from buying a Pokemon book from the Scholastic Book Fair when he was in Year One. 'I couldn't even read at the time, but I remember I used to sit there and pretend to read,' he told adding that his brother used to make fun of him for it. But it was when he got to the age of 10 that he really started to delve into the world of fantasy, saying it was easy to do so when he parents were big readers. 'It's not a chore for me. It's a genuine joy,' he said. Mr Bateman said he felt so 'embarrassed' and 'shameful' about his reading habits for so long, and he wanted to use his new-found popularity to encourage other young men to pick up a book. He said his entire life he felt like an 'undercover nerd'. He said he didn't want anyone else to feel that way, and encouraged parents to get their kids into reading.
News.com.au
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Why the internet fell in love with this man
An unlikely Aussie has become the face of an online reading community after a video that ran for less than two minutes skyrocketed him to overnight fame. Luke Bateman describes himself as a blue-collar worker but is also known for his appearance on the season of The Bachelor where three men tried to find love, as well as playing in the NRL. Now, the former Canberra Raiders player has captured a whole new set of fans on BookTok. Mr Bateman was introduced to the TikTok-based community where people share book recommendations and dissect novels, by two of his female friends after saying he felt like he had no one to talk to about what he was reading. 'I've just never ever had anyone to discuss books with obviously being a male in sporting circles and I've never had mates or friends around me who are readers,' he told So, he posted a video introducing himself to the community and expressing his love for fantasy novels. BookTokers were immediately drawn to the Aussie's casual style and tendency to post from the seat of a tractor wearing an Akubra style hat. The clip racked up 1.9 million views and gained Bateman 136k followers in just days. Currently, on his public Instagram, he has 17,000. Bateman, who is originally from Queensland, was welcomed to the social platform by the likes of popular influencers Alright Hey and Blue Eye Kayla Jade. 'This poor guy just wanted to talk about books,' one social media user said. Another added: 'Are we all in love with him or just me?' 'As an Aussie guy, I've always wanted to get into BookTok and seeing this really makes me want to get into reading again and share my thoughts! thanks for getting out there. Following your journey,' another social media user said. Another added: 'This man made his account a DAY AGO and already has 42k. Y'all are FERAL also welcome. Y'ALL BETTER PLAY NICE.' One person said: 'Blue collar and he reads?! And he understand emotional depth? Welcome to BookTok sir!' The reaction was overwhelming for Bateman. 'Honestly, I had the worst anxiety like that entire week. It was too much,' he said. He joked that a lot of women — who predominantly make up the BookTok community — only followed him for one reason but others were likely surprised to see a man who spends 10 hours a day in a tractor speaking about books. Bateman told he had a love for reading since he was very young, but was convinced this habit was nothing to be proud of. He said his first memory of reading comes from buying a Pokemon book from the Scholastic Book Fair when he was in Year One. 'I couldn't even read at the time, but I remember I used to sit there and pretend to read,' he told adding that his brother used to make fun of him for it. But it was when he got to the age of 10 that he really started to delve into the world of fantasy, saying it was easy to do so when he parents were big readers. 'It's not a chore for me. It's a genuine joy,' he said. Bateman said he felt so 'embarrassed' and 'shameful' about his reading habits for so long, and he wanted to use his new-found popularity to encourage other young men to pick up a book. He said his entire life he felt like an 'undercover nerd'. Bateman said he didn't want anyone else to feel that way, and encouraged parents to get their kids into reading. He said his introduction into BookTok had been a 'whirlwind' introduction to the community, and it's been amazing to talk with people who have just as much of a passion for reading as he does. Bateman said he's been introduced to hundreds of books he'd never heard of — including a lot of "romantasy" — and that was the whole point. Bateman revealed he loved physical books, but because of the nature of his work often involving him riding around in a tractor he also was partial to audio books. 'I'll listen to an audio book and then I have to go buy the physical book because I can't, I don't know what it is, like I can't listen to an audio book and not buy the physical,' he said. He joked that he had 100 books on his shelf that he'd never cracked open but had read through audio books.
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Women go wild for burly NRL star who has become a TikTok phenomenon by reviewing some VERY racy romance and fantasy books
One-time NRL star Luke Bateman has become an online sensation after revealing his growing interest in risqué romance and fantasy novels. Former Canberra Raiders lock Bateman - who also appeared on The Bachelor in 2023 - has amassed 136,000 TikTok followers at the time of writing. It follows a bold recent request where Bateman, 30, asked for 'romance recommendations.' The former Queensland under-20s Origin representative was bombarded with a series of wild responses - and then Bateman further displayed his brazen side by asking for 'smut recs.' Numerous followers - the majority who were women - didn't hesitate to offer their spicy suggestions to Bateman, who responded with a TikTok clip where he can be seen working on a farm while listening to 'graphic audio.' As his popularity increases seemingly by the hour on TikTok, Bateman is clearly enjoying himself - and his followers can't get enough. One joked she is ready to launch a 'petition for Luke to read the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy' before another posted: 'More men like this please. I'm married but we all need more of this.' A third weighed in with: 'When am I reading you a bedtime story.' It didn't take long for Bateman's popularity to explode on TikTok (pictured) after he showed his wild side Bateman is believed to be single following his split from Ellie Rolfe last year. The pair met on The Bachelor and connected - but eventually went their separate ways. 'Ellie and I would like to keep our relationship private,' Bateman said at the time. 'She has a soul that lights up every room she walks into and I will sorely miss it in my life.' On the footy field, Bateman chalked up 71 appearances for the Raiders between 2015 and 2019. A knee injury ended his career - and before his NRL debut, Bateman in 2014 publicly had to confirm he wasn't gay. It followed an on-field slur from current Parramatta Eels halfback Mitchell Moses who was playing for NSW against the Maroons in an under-20s match. 'I'm not gay,' Bateman told News Corp. 'I've had plenty of people from the gay community write to me or contact me on Twitter giving messages of support.
