Taylor Auerbach: Surprising tale how TV insider at the centre of Bruce Lehrmann’s ‘coke and prostitutes’ defamation case stunned Eddie McGuire on Millionaire Hot Seat

Taylor Auerbach’s appearance as a star witness in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation trial in Federal Court comes more than a decade after the controversial media actor had his first major television role.

WhatsNew2Day Australia obtained video of Mr Auerbach as a chubby-cheeked 18-year-old coolly answering Eddie Maguire’s questions on Channel Nine’s Millionaire Hot Seat and winning the $50,000 prize.

As a teenage journalism student with no television experience, Auerbach seemed comfortable on camera and graceful in victory.

Fourteen years after becoming the television show’s youngest winner, Auerbach took the witness stand inside Sydney’s Federal Court 22A on Thursday, presided over by Judge Michael Lee and several lawyers eager to ask questions.

He was questioned about a bizarre video of him breaking golf clubs and gave evidence of his attempts to woo Mr Lehrmann into signing up for an exclusive interview with his show, Channel Seven’s Spotlight.

In 2009, on Nine’s top-rated game show, the situation was just as tense, but the stakes weren’t as high.

So the big question Eddie Maguire asked teenage Taylor to win the Hot Seat money was: ‘What color is London’s Financial Times newspaper published in?’

Then, aspiring to be a sports reporter, Taylor was presented with the multiple-choice answers ‘A. Navy blue, B. Salmon pink, C. Yellow and D. Purple’.

Taylor chose B and when Eddie Maguire said: ‘Taylor, it’s… salmon pink! You’ve won fifty thousand dollars! Taylor’s mouth dropped open.

The young man dropped into his seat and put his hand to his forehead as the camera focused on his ecstatic friend Melissa and the crazed studio audience.

Eddie then shook Taylor’s hand and said, “Okay, buddy,” and Taylor was still speechless before shaking his head and responding, “I can’t believe it.”

Eddie: ‘Taylor, I’m going to give you a check for fifty thousand dollars! No taxes, no nothing, cash. Are you studying journalism? Pay your HECS fees.

‘Get a car and take your grandmother on vacation. Take care of beautiful Melissa, take her to dinner tonight.

‘What about that. “Not a bad start for an 18-year-old.”

After nodding at everything, Taylor said, “Amazing.”

Eddie: ‘Congratulations Taylor, I’m delighted for you mate. Eighteen years! You just won fifty thousand dollars!

Taylor Auerbach has since worked as a journalist for News Corp, WhatsNew2Day Australia, Channel Nine’s A Current Affair, Channel Seven’s Spotlight and Sky News.

He left Sky News in March after a series of media stories involving him and another former Spotlight producer led to the trial date in Bruce Lehrmann’s trial being delayed.

Judge Michael Lee had planned to hand down his ruling in the defamation trial on Thursday, but it has now been postponed following an explosive court application by Channel 10 on Easter Sunday.

After a brief hastily convened hearing Tuesday, Judge Lee agreed to reopen the trial, postpone his sentencing and call Mr. Auerbach to the stand. Auerbach has filed four affidavits totaling thousands of pages. .

The material includes an email Auerbach sent to his bosses at Seven after paying for Thai massages with a company credit card.

Auerbach will re-enter the witness stand tomorrow and expand on his allegations in court that Lehrmann provided Spotlight with classified information from his criminal trial.

The confidential material included private text messages from Ms Higgins and CCTV of Ms Higgins and Mr Lehrmann entering Parliament House before she was allegedly raped in March 2019.

It also included a five-hour meeting between Higgins and her fiancé David Sharaz, Lisa Wilkinson and The Project producer Angus Llewellyn, which was recorded before her television interview.

The leaked information was protected by a law known as a Harman undertaking, which meant it could not be used for anything other than legal proceedings.

Mr. Lehrmann has continually denied Mr. Auerbach’s version of events and called the situation “bizarre.”

Bruce Lehrmann met Auerbach while working with Seven’s Spotlight last year to conduct interviews to air his denials of having had any sexual contact with Brittany Higgins, who accused him of raping her when they were both political staffers.

Higgins alleged she was raped by Lehrmann in Parliament House in Canberra on March 23, 2019, which Lehrmann has always denied.

In 2021, Higgins described the alleged incident in an interview with Lisa Wilkinson on Channel 10’s The Project.

The show, which did not name Lehrmann as her alleged rapist but claims it easily identified him, is at the center of her defamation trial.

Lehrman was accused of rape, but his criminal trial was aborted due to jury error. He has always maintained his innocence.

In 2023, Lehrmann filed the current defamation lawsuit against Channel 10 and Lisa Wilkinson.