NSW Police investigate Married at First Sight Australia over inappropriate content allegations
New South Wales police have launched an investigation into the reality show following a report of inappropriate content being shared, with the matter to be referred to Western Australia police.
At a glance
- NSW Police started an investigation on 24 August 2026 into inappropriate content sharing on Married at First Sight Australia.
- The case will be referred to Western Australia Police, while Channel Nine and Endemol Shine Australia have not commented in detail.
- The show faces parallel scrutiny in the UK, where Ofcom is investigating and a welfare review remains unpublished.
New South Wales Police Force began an investigation on Monday 24 August 2026 after a report of inappropriate content being shared related to Married at First Sight Australia. The matter will be referred to Western Australia Police Force, which said the referral has not yet been received.
Channel Nine, the Australian broadcaster, confirmed it is aware of a police investigation involving production company Endemol Shine Australia and directed enquiries to them. Endemol Shine Australia has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
The development follows a BBC investigation in June in which nine former cast members urged the show to improve background checks and stop allowing individuals with previous convictions or allegations onto the programme. One woman from the 2025 series said she was not told the man she had been matched with had a previous drug conviction, learning of it only after filming ended.
At the time, Channel Nine and Endemol Shine Australia said they had "strong protocols in place to ensure participant safety and wellbeing". The format is also a major hit in the UK, where it airs on Channel 4 and regularly draws audiences above three million.
Channel 4 pulled all UK episodes of Married at First Sight from its streaming service just hours before the transmission of a Panorama investigation in May. In July, BBC News revealed that a cast member from the UK version had been arrested on suspicion of rape following that programme.
UK media regulator Ofcom has since launched an official investigation into the Channel 4 show. Channel 4 commissioned a review into contributor welfare but intends to publish only a summary of findings. The review was expected in the summer but has not yet appeared; Ofcom chief Dame Melanie Dawes told MPs this week that the report is due "any day now".
Lawyers for CPL, the independent production company that makes the UK version, have previously described its welfare system as "gold standard" and industry-leading.
Source: BBC World.
Questions and answers
- What triggered the NSW Police investigation into Married at First Sight Australia?
- NSW Police began investigating on 24 August 2026 after a report of inappropriate content being shared related to the show.
- How is the UK version of the show involved in similar controversies?
- Ofcom has launched an investigation into the UK version, a cast member was arrested on suspicion of rape after a Panorama programme, and Channel 4's welfare review has not been published.
- What have the production companies said about participant safety?
- Channel Nine and Endemol Shine Australia say they have strong protocols, while CPL, the UK producer, calls its welfare system gold standard.
