Source : THE AGE NEWS
Karl Stefanovic will leave Nine “immediately” after the network struck terms for a deal to axe his lucrative contract amid the fallout from a disastrous podcast interview with far-right British activist Tommy Robinson.
Nine chief executive Matt Stanton told staff on Friday that it was “the right time for Karl to move on from the Today show and Nine”.
“Karl has been a fixture on our screens for over two decades, so we know this is a significant change for our viewers and all of us here at Nine, however, it’s the right time to make it,” Stanton said.
In a video published at 7.10am on Friday, Stefanovic said he was now “free, truly independent” to pursue his podcast series The Karl Stefanovic Show.
“I didn’t get the chance to thank my free-to-air audience for 21 great years, so thank you for riding the ups and downs. You have my thanks, and you have all of my love,” he said.
Sitting on a park bench and looking directly into the camera, Stefanovic said the past few days had not been easy.
“Here’s what I believe in: the public deserve to hear perspectives.
“On my show, I have spoken to people who have different perspectives; I know that winds some people up. Sometimes I agree with everything a guest says, sometimes I don’t. But importantly, you get to make up your own mind.”
He finished the video by jumping into the air and clicking his heels together.
Fighting back tears, Stefanovic’s co-host Sarah Abo earlier told viewers that the show had received mixed feedback to the scandal.
“We’ve spoken to a lot of people over the past few days, have varying emotions. They’re upset, they’re sad this is all happening, and we all wish it wasn’t ending like this and that we could say goodbye to Karl our friend in a different way,” she said.
Nine executives finalised the terms of Stefanovic’s departure early on Friday morning, drawing to a close a near two-decade run hosting Today and ending his status as Australia’s highest-paid television presenter.
It is unclear whether Nine will pay out the estimated $1 million balance of Stefanovic’s contract.
A spokesperson for the network said that Nine and Stefanovic had agreed it was “no longer possible for him to continue hosting the Today show at the same time as his independent podcast”.
In another email to staff designed to avert claims that the decision represented an intrusion on freedom of speech, Nine director of news and current affairs Fiona Dear said the network had a rich history of interviewing controversial figures and noted that journalists have an obligation to ask difficult questions.
“Part of what makes us tick is trying to understand why people are the way they are, or think the way they think,” she said. “We welcome open debate and challenging norms with constructive, balanced arguments.
“As journalists, we play a critical role in society to question, challenge, and hold people to account regardless of where they come from or which political party or views they represent.”
She also said that this week’s drama had been “challenging”, particularly for the Today show team. “If you need any support, myself and my leadership team are here for you,” she wrote.
She also pledged to share details of Today’s new hosts soon given Abo is due to go on maternity leave shortly.
“We’ve all worked tirelessly to build a news and current affairs brand built on trust and respect, and we will always fight to uphold that,” she concluded.
Stefanovic’s interview with Robinson went live on Tuesday afternoon but was removed from YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Instagram less than 12 hours later.
The Today host did not interrogate any of Robinson’s claims, but instead told him he admired his “tenacity” and “courage” in “trying to stand up for what you believe is right” in a jovial conversation lasting almost an hour.
Stefanovic also threw his arm around Robinson, told him he “loved” him, and called outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer a “wanker”.
Nine agreed to let Stefanovic pursue the fledgling independent podcast The Karl Stefanovic Show as part of a deal to cut his pay going into 2026. He reportedly still earned more than $2 million a year from the network.
The Robinson production infuriated senior Nine executives, who were blindsided by Stefanovic’s choice of interview subject and stunned by the way the Nine host embraced him on video.
Stanton, Dear, streaming and broadcasting managing director Amanda Laing and director of television Michael Healy and other executives have been locked in meetings at Nine’s North Sydney headquarters since the video was published.
While the Robinson podcast triggered this week’s blow-up, Nine officials had become tired of Stefanovic’s behaviour since he launched the podcast in January.
Stefanovic’s apology in March for taking part in Nine’s COVID-19 vaccine campaign angered management, as did his interview with controversial former television chef Pete Evans. In that episode, Stefanovic said that mainstream media would “never do this interview” because it was “too soft”.
He was also photographed last month wearing a cap with the words “Zero f—s”, and issued an abusive statement to the ABC’s Media Watch program, which was exploring the media’s sometimes-cosy relationship with controversial neurosurgeon Charlie Teo. “Charlie Teo is a great f—ing Australian,” Stefanovic told the program. “Leave him the f— alone.”
On Thursday, the billionaire business mogul and former Nine owner James Packer defended Stefanovic and criticised the company’s handling of the saga.
“I didn’t think it was that bad,” Packer said of the Robinson podcast.
Packer, who sold his controlling stake in Nine to private equity in 2007, has been friends with Stefanovic for more than a decade. The television star stayed at Packer’s multimillion-dollar Bondi apartment following his separation from his former wife in 2016 and has spent time on his luxury yacht, IJE.
With his future at Nine over, Stefanovic has also pulled out of his scheduled appearance on his new radio show with Eddie McGuire on Friday.
Stefanovic and McGuire were supposed to host an episode of their show The Long Weekend, which was to stream on radio station Gold and Nine’s platforms.
Bevan Shields is a senior writer, and former editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
