The Controversy Corner segment of the show was briefly spun off as a standalone Sunday morning program during the 2010 NRL finals.

In 2002, after his retirement from professional rugby league, Matty Johns became a regular performer on The Footy Show.

[6][7][8] It emerged in 2009 that Johns had participated in group sex with several Cronulla players and a young woman seven years earlier, in 2002, at a hotel in Christchurch, New Zealand.

[9] In August 2009, the Nine Network approached him about returning to commentary duties, reportedly offering $600,000 a year for him to continue with Nine.

John Singleton is an Australian media entrepreneur, a rugby league fan and former part owner of the Brisbane Broncos.

[14][15] Johns was under an exclusive contract with the company until 2011, and was forbidden to appear on any other electronic media without Singleton's approval.

[11] According to Paul Kent of The Daily Telegraph, the deal with Singleton and Seven "has the potential to make him wealthy far beyond anything he could have achieved had he remained at Nine.

"[11] Matty Johns asked former professional rugby league footballer Shane Webcke to be his co-host.

[20] Matt Nable, former professional rugby league footballer turned screenwriter, worked as a writer on the show.

[21] The first episode of The Matty Johns Show aired Thursday evening, 25 March 2010,[22] three weeks into the NRL season.

The Australian Associated Press reported that Matty Johns' performance on his first show was "impressive", and that he appeared "nervous but cheerful".

[23] The Daily Telegraph's Phil Rothfield compared the "far brighter and more radiant" appearance of Johns in his first show to the "broken down wreck" seen on A Current Affair in May 2009 in the context of the sex scandal.

[26][27] The popular Controversy Corner segment was spun off into a Sunday morning one-hour program during the 2010 NRL finals series.

[29] Starting in the summer of 2010, co-host Jason Stevens began hosting a variety program on 7Two called Big J's Place.

[22][23] It is primarily aimed at New South Wales and Queensland audiences (in which NRL is the dominant football code).

The show features many comedy sketches, recurring characters and celebrity interviews in a variety format.

[31][32] Sports website The Roar notes that the show appears to be made to slick (and expensive) production values.

Johns said of the snub, "...with the politics going around and with the rights coming up, and with Seven being an integral part of the NRL getting the money they are after, it's a little surprising that Seven weren't extended an invitation.

Once, the running time was extended in order to provide coverage of important rugby league news, such as the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal.

[44][46] Stevens is a former prop for the St. George Dragons and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks rugby teams, known for his Christian faith and clean image.

For example, on the 19 August 2010 episode, Sydney Roosters player Anthony Minichiello appeared alongside Hollywood stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.

In April 2010 they posted a classical version of the song "Telephone" by Lady Gaga, released on YouTube.

[citation needed] Controversy Corner is a segment in which Johns and Webcke, along with guest Paul Kent (a sports writer from Sydney's Daily Telegraph) discuss NRL news.

[31][37][38] Johns hosted a weekly Sunday morning one-hour version of Controversy Corner during the 2010 NRL finals.

[40] Johns also hosted a short "Daily Telegraph edition" of Controversy Corner in the week before the 2010 NRL Grand Final, featuring Jason Stevens, Paul Kent and Steve "Blocker" Roach.

[32] Harry Hardman is a "garbo" (rubbish collector) who vents his frustrations with the game of rugby league.

While in character as Hardman, Matty Johns "ambushed" The Footy Show regulars at the 2010 Dally M Awards.

In mid-July, an unnamed Seven spokesperson stated, "Matthew has destroyed The Footy Show in Sydney and Brisbane.

"[52] The first series faced stiff competition from the very popular MasterChef Australia, which aired on Network Ten in the same timeslot as The Matty Johns Show.