Taken aback, the hosts asked Ivan to clarify if he thought that the virus which has to date infected 330,000 and killed upwards of 13,000 people worldwide ‘all a lie’.
“I don’t know if it’s a lie mate but there’s some pretty crazy stuff going on in China,” Ivan responded.
“I was watching videos last night and they’re spraying the streets, there’s all sorts of jazz going on. There’s more to the story that we don’t know. There’s something going on that’s just fishy,” he added.
While the hosts did their best to explain that the situation was serious and real, the reality star was dismissive, stating that, in comparison with COVID-19, ‘no one gives a shit’ about the number of people who die from ‘flu.
He went on to confirm that he is ‘definitely still working’ despite social distancing and self-isolation protocol being in place.
This isn’t the first time Ivan has made headlines for his controversial comments.
Last month the MAFS had listeners cringing after hanging up on Hit 101.3's Daniel ‘Gawndy’ Gawned and Ash Pollard mid-interview.
Appearing on the Gawndy and Ash Pollard Catch Up, the HIT 101.3's breakfast radio duo introduced the real estate agent to their audience by saying, "Welcome to the show, the tall, light and ugly Ivan. Hello!"
For context, days earlier viewers had watched as Ivan was publicly humiliated when his Married At First Sight bride, Aleksandra Markovic, revealed in front of their co-stars that he wasn't her "usual tall, dark and handsome" type.
The radio host’s cheeky comment clearly struck a nerve, with the affable reality TV star quickly snapping back.
"That's a good way to start off an interview if you want to get s**t out of me," he replied.
"Mate, I'm just referring to how she [Aleksandra] didn't call you tall, dark and handsome," Gawndy explained.
"She didn't call me ugly, though," said Ivan, who was becoming more and more frustrated.
"Mate, we're pretty happy to call this interview [off] right here, right now, to be honest. We don't really need to talk to you if we don't want to," Gawndy said, adding that it was just "a bit of radio banter".
Hilariously, an infuriated Ivan— who clearly felt disrespected and refused to accept Gawndy's apology— called his bluff and hung up before the breakfast host's had the chance to.
Discussing the awkward and truly bizarre on-air tiff, Ash said: "[MAFS stars] are not celebrities and they're not trained in media.
"Of course they're going to get offended by things like that because they're just flogs! I hate the show, so you know that made me happy!"
