Sam Newman has refused to apologize for his remarks regarding the victim of celebrity agent Ralph Carr, stating he has no regrets and believes his comments were taken out of context. Newman had suggested the victim may have experienced "buyer's remorse," a comment that has drawn widespread condemnation and accusations of victim-blaming from women's advocates.
During an episode of his podcast, "You Cannot Be Serious," Newman addressed the backlash, asserting that his "buyer's remorse" comment was not directed at the sexual assault itself but rather at the victim's decision to consume cocaine and alcohol at Carr's home before the incident. "Buyer's remorse means it's a bad idea," Newman explained. "Snorting coke and drinking alcohol when you go around to have a potential business meeting, it probably won't end well. That's what buyer's remorse means. It's not a good idea."
Newman maintained that he was not defending Carr, minimizing the crimes, or blaming the victim. He claimed his initial comments were based on limited information while he was traveling overseas and that his questions about the case were misinterpreted as an attempt to support Carr. "People who want to create mischief insinuated that I was carrying water for Carr and was trying to downplay whatever he'd done. Nothing could be further from the truth," he stated.
Carr, 66, was found guilty by a Victorian County Court jury on July 28 of two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. He denied the allegations, pleaded not guilty, but was convicted on all three charges. Carr remains in custody awaiting sentencing and intends to appeal.
Women's advocates have criticized Newman's explanation. Anti-violence campaigner Sherele Moody accused him of questioning the victim's credibility and called for his removal from media platforms. "How dare he stand up and call a rape victim a liar," Moody said, emphasizing that Carr had been convicted by a jury after the woman underwent a difficult cross-examination.
Rita Nasr, a writer for Women's Agenda, argued that the phrase "buyer's remorse" undermines the victim by reframing the jury's verdict, reached despite the rarity of rape convictions, as a matter of the woman's second thoughts. "It is one of the oldest and most effective ways to undercut a survivor's credibility without directly calling her a liar," Nasr wrote, adding that the controversy highlights a broader cultural tendency to scrutinize women's bodies, choices, and credibility.
Newman dismissed the criticism from women's groups as "manufactured feigned indignation." He also disputed reports that his podcast co-host Wayne Carey had attempted to silence him during their initial discussion. Newman stated that Carey was merely suggesting neither of them had enough information about the case to form an opinion. "I have no problem and I have no regrets about what I said. I never say anything I regret and I never take anything back I said as long as it's taken in context and you hear the full story," Newman asserted.