In this episode of No Business Being A Castano, Jono and Amy catch up with Aussie TV legend Larry Emdur for a hilarious, heartfelt, and totally unfiltered conversation about life in the spotlight—and what comes after.
Larry reflects on his unconventional rise in television, from becoming the youngest national newsreader (at 3am in board shorts) to decades of hosting game shows, morning programs, and dodging cancellation after cancellation. But it’s his latest pivot that surprises everyone: building an award-winning whiskey brand, Ben Buckler, from a birthday passion project into a booming business.
They dive into everything from imposter syndrome and media burnout to longevity, marriage, fitness at 60, and how a joke about a Logies tattoo turned into a public obsession. With signature self-deprecating charm, Larry opens up about reinvention, relationships, and finding freedom in not taking yourself too seriously—even after four decades on screen.
Timestamps
01:10 – Why he’s never been asked to show his butt more than now
04:30 – The accidental birth of Ben Buckler Whiskey
09:15 – How it went from 60 bottles to a global business overnight
13:00 – Reinvention after rejection: getting axed and bouncing back
17:40 – Surfing, morning routines, and chasing clarity at 4am
22:00 – Fitness over 60: training hard, seeing no change, doing it anyway
27:00 – Marriage, fatherhood, and the napkin that started it all
32:20 – Imposter syndrome at the Logies and the power of perspective
36:10 – Making whiskey unboring—and why Larry’s all in
41:30 – Tattoos, Westfield encounters, and day one of a new chapter
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Follow Larry:
instagram.com/larryemdur
Check out Ben Buckler Whiskey:
benbucklerwhiskey.com
Shout out to this episode’s sponsor, Melrose FutureLab:
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