Karl Stefanovic to leave Nine ‘immediately’ after network axes multimillion-dollar contract
Karl Stefanovic will leave Nine “immediately” after the channel agreed to terminate his lucrative contract amid fallout from a disastrous podcast interview with far-right British activist Tommy Robinson.
In an email to staff on Friday, Nine chief executive Matt Stanton said it was “the right time for Karl to leave this business”. 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, but the time is right to do it,” Stanton said.
Stefanovic’s host, Sarah Abo, fought back tears and told viewers the show had received mixed reactions to the scandal.
“We’ve talked to a lot of people over the past few days with different feelings. They’re sad, they’re upset that this has all happened, and we all hope it doesn’t end this way and that we could say goodbye to our friend Karl in a different way,” he said.
Nine managers finalized the terms of Stefanovic’s departure early on Friday morning, bringing the end of his almost two-decade host run Today and ended his status as Australia’s highest-paid television presenter.
It’s unclear whether Nine will pay the estimated $1 million balance of Stefanovic’s contract.
A spokesman for the network said Nine and Stefanovic had agreed that “it was no longer possible for him to continue hosting the meeting”. Today will be shown simultaneously with its standalone podcast”.
In another email to staff to counter claims that the decision constituted an interference with freedom of expression, Fiona Dear, Nine’s director of news and current affairs, said the network had a rich history of interviewing controversial figures and journalists had an obligation to ask tough questions.
“One of the things that drives us is trying to understand why people are the way they are or think the way they think,” he said. “We welcome open debate and challenging norms with constructive, balanced arguments.
“As journalists, we play a critical role in society in questioning, challenging and holding people to account, regardless of where they come from or what political party or views they represent.”
He also said this week’s drama was particularly “challenging.” Today Show your team. “If you need support, my leadership team and I are here for you,” he wrote.
He also promised to share details. today’s new homeowners soon. Stefanovic’s co-host Sarah Abo will go on maternity leave.
“We have all worked tirelessly to build a news and current affairs brand built on trust and respect, and we will always strive to maintain that,” he said.
Stefanovic’s interview Robinson It went live on Tuesday afternoon, but removed from YouTubeSpotify, Apple Podcasts and Instagram in less than 12 hours.
Today The host didn’t question any of Robinson’s claims; instead, in an enjoyable conversation that lasted nearly an hour, he said he admired her “perseverance” and “courage” in “trying to stand up for what you believe is right.”
Stefanovic also put his arm around Robinson, told him he “loved” him and called outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer a “masturbator”.
Nine agrees to let Stefanovic cover fledgling independent podcast The Karl Stefanovic Show As part of an agreement to cut his salary through 2026. He still reportedly earns more than $2 million a year from the channel.
The Robinson production infuriated senior Nine executives, who were caught off guard by Stefanovic’s choice of interview subject and stunned by the way the Nine presenter embraced her in the video.
Stanton, Dear, broadcast and broadcast general manager Amanda Laing and television director Michael Healey and other executives have been locked in meetings at Nine’s North Sydney headquarters since the video was released.
Although the Robinson podcast triggered this week’s outburst, Nine officials have been fed up with Stefanovic’s behavior since launching the podcast in January.
Stefanovic’s apology for taking part in Nine’s COVID-19 vaccination drive in March angered management, as did his interview with controversial former television chief Pete Evans. In that episode, Stefanovic said that mainstream media would “never do this interview” because it was “too bland.”
He was also photographed last month wearing a hat that read “Zero f—s” and made an insulting statement to the ABC. Media Monitoring The program explores the media’s sometimes intimate relationship with controversial neurosurgeon Charlie Teo. “Charlie Teo is a great Australian,” Stefanovic told the programme. “Leave him alone.”
On Thursday, billionaire businessman and former Nine owner James Packer defended Stefanovic and criticized the company’s handling of the incident.
“I didn’t think it was that bad,” Packer said on the Robinson podcast.
Packer, who sold his majority stake in Nine to private equity in 2007, has been friends with Stefanovic for more than a decade. After splitting from her ex-husband in 2016, the television star stayed at Packer’s multimillion-dollar Bondi apartment and spent time on his luxury yacht IJE.
Stefanovic, whose future at Nine is over, also planned to appear on his new radio show with Eddie McGuire on Friday.
Stefanovic and McGuire were supposed to host part of their show Long WeekendIt was to be broadcast on radio station Gold and Nine.
Sources close to the matter said there were talks between Stefanovic and ARN about his future at the radio network. Settled his lawsuit with former landlord Kyle Sandilands this month.
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Bevan Shields is a senior writer and former editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
