If you were anywhere near a computer in 2008, you saw them. The neon yellow frames. The fur-lined hoodie. That confusingly confident, shirtless 16-year-old staring down a news reporter with a level of "don't care" that most adults haven't achieved in a lifetime. Corey Worthington party photos aren't just old digital artifacts; they are the blueprint for the modern viral moment.
Before TikTok existed and before "going viral" was a career path, a kid from Narre Warren, Melbourne, decided to post a party invite on MySpace. He thought maybe a few people would show up while his parents were in Queensland.
500 people came.
Police dog squads arrived. Helicopters circled. Bricks were thrown at patrol cars. The quiet suburb turned into a literal war zone, and the photos that emerged defined a decade of teenage rebellion.
The Night That Changed Everything
Imagine it's January 12, 2008. There’s no Instagram. You find out about the "place to be" via a blurry MySpace bulletin or an SMS chain.
People started pouring out of the local train station. They weren't just locals. They were kids from all over Melbourne who had seen the public post. By the time the sun went down, the Worthington family home was disappearing under a sea of hoodies and cheap beer.
The Corey Worthington party photos from that night aren't high-def. They’re grainy, captured on early digital cameras and Razr phones. You see kids on the roof. You see the front yard becoming a mud pit. Most famously, you see the aftermath: smashed letterboxes and a $20,000 police bill that Corey’s parents definitely weren't expecting to find in the mail.
That Infamous Interview
Honestly, the party was only half the story. The legend was cemented the next day when Corey sat down with Leila McKinnon on A Current Affair.
It was a total train wreck.
McKinnon tried to play the "disappointed mother" role. She demanded he take off his sunglasses. Corey flatly refused. When she asked what he had to say to other kids thinking of doing the same thing, he delivered the line that still lives in the Australian Hall of Fame: "Get me to do it for you."
He was cocky. He was wearing a yellow-and-white fur hoodie with no shirt underneath. He looked like a budget pop star who had just survived a riot, mainly because he had.
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Why the Photos Still Go Viral
People keep searching for these photos because they represent a specific era of "pre-polished" internet. Today, everything is curated. Back then, it was raw.
- The Look: The yellow "speed-dealer" sunglasses became a symbol of defiance.
- The Chaos: Seeing a suburban street overrun by police helicopters because of a MySpace post was a wake-up call for parents everywhere.
- The Legacy: It’s widely believed that this night was a primary inspiration for the 2012 movie Project X. While producers haven't officially confirmed it, the parallels—the dog, the news interview, the out-of-control scale—are way too close to be a coincidence.
Corey didn't just hide away after the news cycle moved on. He leaned into it. He appeared on Big Brother Australia later that year, though his stay was short. He tried his hand at being a DJ and a professional "party promoter."
Where is the Party Boy Now?
If you saw him today, you wouldn't recognize him. Seriously.
The bleached hair is gone. In recent years, photos of Corey show a man covered in tattoos—neck, arms, hands, you name it. He even has "Not Sorry" tattooed on his knuckles. He’s appeared on Australian Ninja Warrior and has spent time working as a scaffolder.
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His life hasn't been all club appearances and fame, though. He's had some serious brushes with the law. In 2023, he made headlines again, but for a much darker reason: an assault charge involving a man on a mobility scooter. He avoided jail time, but it was a stark reminder that the "lovable rogue" image from 2008 doesn't always age well in the real world.
The Lost Tapes
Interestingly, there is a piece of "lost media" associated with this whole saga. During a live show in early 2025, Corey mentioned that he actually filmed a lot of the party on a handheld camera.
He claims the police took the footage as evidence and never gave it back. Somewhere in a Victoria Police evidence room, there might be the "Director's Cut" of the wildest house party in Australian history.
Key Lessons for the Social Media Age
It's easy to look back and laugh, but the Worthington incident was a turning point. It taught a whole generation that the "delete" button doesn't really exist.
Once those Corey Worthington party photos hit the evening news, he was no longer just a kid from Narre Warren. He was a brand. For better or worse, that identity followed him for the next 18 years.
If you're looking to dive deeper into this bit of internet history, start by watching the original A Current Affair interview. It’s a masterclass in how not to handle a PR crisis—or how to handle it perfectly, depending on who you ask.
From there, you can track the evolution of the "Project X" phenomenon to see how one night in Melbourne influenced global pop culture. Just remember: if you're planning a party and your parents are away, maybe keep the guest list off social media. Or, at the very least, keep your shirt on for the interview.
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Actionable Next Steps:
Check out the archived footage of the 2008 interview to see the "yellow sunglasses" moment in context. If you are researching the cultural impact of viral events, compare the Corey Worthington saga to modern "TikTok parties" to see how police response and media coverage have shifted over the last two decades. Finally, if you're interested in the "Project X" connection, look for the 10-year reunion anniversary posts on Facebook—they show just how many people still claim they were there that night.