Married At First Sight groom Tony Mojanovski has rushed to his cousin Steve Nasteski defence after the wealthy art dealer faced backlash for his controversial remarks about the council worker’s bride Morena Farina.
Tony, 53, tied the knot with Morena, 57, in one of the most heartwarming weddings of the season on Sunday night.
Steve, a former luxury car dealer-turned-art mogul, sparked outrage when he pulled Tony aside during the reception to question Morena’s suitability, bluntly stating that she was ‘too old’ for him.
‘The thing is, you’re ageing gracefully,’ Steve told Tony, before interrupting him to emphasise ‘Yeah, well, she is older than me, you know that?’
The exchange quickly went viral, with viewers slamming Steve’s comments as ‘ageist’ and ‘condescending’, arguing that Morena and Tony’s four-year age gap was insignificant.
Tony defended his cousin, insisting his remarks were ‘taken out of context’.
Married At First Sight groom Tony Mojanovski has rushed to his cousin Steve Nasteski defence after the wealthy art dealer faced backlash for his controversial remarks about the council worker’s bride Morena Farina (Tony pictured with Morena)
Steve, a former luxury car dealer-turned-art mogul, sparked outrage when he pulled Tony aside during the reception to question Morena’s suitability, bluntly stating that she was ‘too old’ for him
‘Steve is very protective of me and his heart was in the right place,’ Tony told Daily Mail Australia.
‘He’s a big personality. He’s a beautiful person, he’s, he just says things the way he sees it do I agree with him? Not all the time.’
Tony also defended his private chat with Steve, calling him a ‘straight shooter’ and someone who can sometimes rub someone the wrong way.
‘It was a man-to-man conversation. He didn’t mean any harm by it or to hurt anybody or disrespect anybody. It was just Steven,’ he explained.
‘That’s just, me and him have had so many conversations and beautiful conversations like that.
Tony defended his cousin, insisting his remarks were ‘taken out of context’
Steve addresses backlash
Steve, who boasts an estimated $30 million fortune from art dealing and luxury property flipping, remains unbothered by the online backlash.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday, Steve said his comments were out of genuine concern for Tony’s future family aspirations.
‘It was taken out of context,’ Steve clarified. ‘The context was, she’s too old for Tony because Tony wants to have children.’
Steve further revealed the producers of the show played a significant part in escalating the situation.
According to him, they encouraged him to discuss the age issue with Tony to add dramatic tension to the story.
‘The producers actually asked me to bring up the age issue with Tony and create drama,’ Steve explained.
Steve’s relationship with the reality show wasn’t purely altruistic.
Steve, who boasts an estimated $30 million fortune from art dealing and luxury property flipping, remains unbothered by the online backlash. Pictured with Anthony Albanese
Before agreeing to participate, he demanded a hefty fee for his involvement, aware of the drama’s potential to boost the show’s ratings.
‘I asked for a fee of $20,000 a day because I understood that this drama would increase ratings and the commercial success of the show,’ Steve explained.
A philanthropist with a storied career in art dealing, Steve is no stranger to public scrutiny, yet he remains confident in his decisions and statements.
He is renowned in the arts community for being ‘kind and generous’.
He previously made headlines after he donated cricket memorabilia to The Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation in 2021.
In 2014, he donated $20,000 in the lead up to the 2014 NRL Grand Final after George Piggins said he would attend to cheer on the South Sydney Rabbitohs to their first premiership win in 43 years if $120,000 was raised to the charity.
He has a multi-million-dollar property portfolio—including a Byron Bay home near Chris Hemsworth and a record-breaking $14 million Double Bay apartment sale.
