Australian comedian Rove McManus has revealed the only time in his career he felt compelled to apologise to a celebrity guest – Hollywood star John Travolta.
Speaking during his show Tales from the Talk Show Trenches at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, McManus recounted the moment that led to the unexpected apology.
The incident followed a tour of Travolta’s private Boeing 707, a former Qantas jet, when McManus noticed the in-flight entertainment was playing the actor’s 1997 film Face/Off. Curious, he asked whether Travolta only screened his own movies.
The actor’s reply was simple: “yes”.
McManus then joked about the absence of the 2000 film Battlefield Earth, describing it as “widely considered to be a very sh** one”. The remark, however, did not land as intended.
“The joke did not go over well,” McManus said, revealing a producer contacted him the following day to flag the issue.
The film, based on a novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and heavily funded by Travolta, remains a sensitive topic.
“For my one and only time in my entire career, I wrote an apology letter to John Travolta. I never did this for any other guest,” McManus shared.
According to McManus, Travolta responded graciously: “I was very mad but now I’m not mad, I’m OK and very much appreciative of your apology letter.”
The gesture appeared to smooth things over. McManus said he was later included on Travolta’s Christmas card list.
The pair first crossed paths on Rove Live in the early 2000s, when Travolta flew his Boeing 707 from the United States to Australia. At the time, the aircraft held personal significance for the actor, who is a licensed pilot.
“I think I’ve had a moment in history because I own an antique Qantas jetliner,” Travolta said on the program in 2001.
“It’s maybe 35 years old but you know, it’s what cut the world in half… It was a very big deal for Qantas to get these aeroplanes.”
Travolta later became an ambassador for Qantas, with the aircraft repainted in vintage livery as part of a promotional campaign. Originally delivered in 1964, the Boeing 707 was eventually converted into a luxury private jet.
The plane, named Jett Clipper Ella, after Travolta’s children, was donated in 2017 to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) Aviation Museum in Albion Park, New South Wales.
The Melbourne International Comedy festival is on until April 19.
Image: Rove Live
