The fallout from the latest episode of Turned On: Dirty Sexy Money has triggered a massive civil war both on and off-screen.
In exclusive interviews, breakout stars and OnlyFans creators Annie Knight and Mia Bailey have broken their silence on the explosive voice-recording scandal that shattered their years-long friendship, halted production, and completely flipped the house dynamic upside down.
What viewers saw on screen was the culmination of months of hidden tension.
Behind the scenes, the reality is even more dramatic.
It was a friendship built on close ties that was completely dismantled by a secret audiotape, allegations of a “calculated narrative,” and an intense off-camera ultimatum that failed to save their bond.
The wedding invite and the secret recording: What really happened
For Ms Knight, the betrayal cut incredibly deep because her relationship with Ms Bailey wasn’t just a casual reality TV alliance.
“Mia and I have been friends for a few years,” Ms Knight explained to news.com.au.
“I went to her engagement party, she came to my engagement party.
“Our fiancés are really close friends.
“She was invited to my wedding — and I only invited 22 friends in total to my wedding. I’m very selective.”
According to Ms Knight, she and co-star Lily Phillips went “in to bat” for Mia for the first three months of filming, completely alienating themselves from the rest of the cast (dubbed the ‘agency girls’).
Ms Phillips even went so far as to throw a drink at co-star Quinn Everly to defend Ms Bailey’s honour.
But everything shattered during the cast’s girls’ trip when Ms Everly produced a bombshell voice recording of Ms Bailey talking behind Ms Knight’s back.
“That voice recording happened in November or December last year, and we started filming in February,” Ms Knight said.
“I found out that she had said she thought it was weird that she was invited to my wedding, she thinks that I use [my fiance] Henry for media attention, and she said she would not come on the show if I was on the show.
“My whole world sort of fell apart at that point because I didn’t know what to believe or who to trust.”
This brought up past trauma of trust issues Ms Knight had, as it became “obvious” that Ms Bailey “lied” to her.
‘Shocked, embarrassed and incredibly emotional’: Mia responds
When confronted with the allegations, Ms Bailey admits watching the episode back was incredibly painful, especially seeing the emotional distress it caused Ms Knight.
However, she stresses that the audio clip lacks the broader context of the night it was recorded.
“What viewers saw relayed was a small snippet of a much longer private conversation that took place around six months before the girls’ trip dinner,” Ms Bailey told news.com.au.
“That conversation lasted for hours and covered a range of topics — it wasn’t a conversation about Annie.
“Annie’s name came up, and there were comments made by multiple people.
“Unfortunately, only a small part of that conversation, including only comments I made at the time, was relayed.”
She also explains her deer-in-the-headlights reaction on camera, revealing she genuinely had no memory of the conversation.
“What made the situation so difficult for me was that I genuinely didn’t remember making those comments, and I wasn’t aware they had come from a recording that existed until it was revealed,” Ms Bailey confessed.
“By the time we were filming, months had passed, and Annie and I had naturally built an even closer friendship … So being confronted with comments I’d made so long before, in front of everyone, left me feeling shocked, embarrassed and incredibly emotional.”
Despite the shock, Ms Bailey says she isn’t looking to deflect blame.
“I take responsibility for the comments I made because, regardless of the context, I understand why they were hurtful,” she shared.
“My focus now isn’t on pointing fingers; it’s on taking accountability for my own words.”
The off-camera ultimatum
One major detail that didn’t fully translate to the final edit was the sheer number of chances Ms Knight gave Ms Bailey to come clean before the secret leaked to the rest of the group.
Ms Knight revealed she gave Ms Bailey at least seven distinct opportunities to tell the truth.
“I actually said to Mia — because there were allegations from Quinn that Mia had said s**t about me behind my back, and I didn’t believe Quinn—I gave Mia the opportunity probably seven times,” she said.
“I messaged her or spoke to her in person and said, ‘Mia, if you’ve said anything bad about me, come clean now … I’ll forgive you, but if I find out down the track that you’ve said things and you haven’t come clean, I won’t be able to forgive you’.
“She had ample opportunity to come clean to me, and she didn’t.”
Ms Bailey acknowledged the weight of the situation but noted that she is taking the intense public scrutiny as a lesson in self-awareness.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say I have regrets, because every experience teaches you something,” Ms Bailey reflected regarding the backlash.
“The show challenged me in ways I never expected, and it’s given me the opportunity to reflect, grow, and become a better communicator and person.”
The ‘agency girls’ vindicated
The revelation hasn’t just ruined a friendship; it has completely transformed how Ms Knight and Ms Phillips view the rest of their castmates.
Throughout filming, Ms Bailey had spun a narrative that the ‘agency girls’ were “evil, liars, and manipulators,” according to Ms Knight, which caused massive friction.
“Lily and I were always confused because we were like, ‘Mia is such a lovely person, why do these girls hate her so much?’” Ms Knight claimed.
“We always thought, wow, that’s crazy — imagine seven liars and manipulators all being friends.”
Ms Knight admits that she and Lily had quietly noticed that co-stars like Hayley Summers and Ruby Drew seemed like genuinely nice people, which didn’t match Ms Bailey’s warnings.
“When this all came out and we found out the truth, all of a sudden, all the puzzle pieces just fitted so perfectly,” Ms Knight stated.
“It was very, very clear to Lily and me who the liar was and who the manipulator was in the situation, and it wasn’t the agency girls.
“Perhaps these other agency girls are actually good people.”
Where do they stand now?
While the public reaction has been fiercely divided, Ms Knight notes that her social media feed has rallied heavily behind her.
“I did a Q&A on my Instagram and all I will see is that everyone thinks that Mia is a two-faced b**ch,” Ms Knight said.
However, she insists she doesn’t rely on internet trolls for validation.
“I already knew I was in the right and Mia was in the wrong,” she reassured.
For her part, Ms Bailey says she has received a mix of heavy criticism and surprising support.
“I’ve had people who were initially quite critical reach out later with messages of support or saying they had a different perspective after watching more of the season,” she noted.
As for whether the former best friends have patched things up since cameras stopped rolling?
Both stars are keeping their lips tightly sealed to avoid violating strict network spoilers — but tease that major answers are imminent.
“I’d rather not spoil what’s still to come,” Ms Bailey hinted.
“Our journey doesn’t end with this episode.”
Ms Knight promises fans won’t have to wait long to see the ultimate resolution.
“I’m not allowed to say anything just yet, but you will find out after episode nine next week, coming out on Wednesday,” she shared.
And for fans already hooked on the high-stakes Australian drama, Annie dropped one final major teaser: “I am fairly positive that there will be a season two, yes.”