Karl Stefanovic podcast with Tommy Robinson pulled; Pauline Hanson accuses Nine of trying to sack presenter
Updated ,first published
Television presenter Karl Stefanovic’s controversial podcast interview with British far-right anti-Islamic activist Tommy Robinson has been removed from YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Instagram less than 12 hours after it was published.
But One Nation leader Pauline Hanson posted the entire podcast, which was later deleted, on her YouTube channel and accused Stefanovic’s employer, Nine, of trying to oust the presenter during the interview.
“Looks like they’re trying to fire my good friend Karl Stefanovic for this video with Tommy Robinson!” he wrote on Instagram.
Nine’s presenter Stefanovic Today Show, who has increasingly described himself as a culture warrior, told Robinson that he admired his “tenacity” and “courage” to “try to stand up for what you believe is right” in an almost hour-long interview on Stefanovic’s self-titled YouTube show, in which the pair discussed immigration, Islam and Australian politics.
A spokesperson for Nine emphasized in a statement that Stefanovic’s program was produced independently of the channel. “Nine has no involvement whatsoever in guest selection and other editorial processes,” the spokesman said, but added: “However, Nine takes this matter seriously.”
On Wednesday morning, the Robinson episode was not streaming on YouTube; Stefanovic’s interview with another right-wing figure in England, former Special Forces soldier Ant Middleton, is still on air. Sources familiar with the matter said the podcast episode was not removed by the tech platforms where it disappeared, including YouTube and Apple Podcasts. Posts containing short clips of the Robinson interview remain on Stefanovic’s X account.
Stefanovic, who was not on Nine’s screens on Wednesday and is in the UK, has been contacted for comment. Keshnee Kemp, who describes herself as the podcast’s “co-founder” and serves as its producer, has also been contacted for comment.
Activist group Mad F-king Witches, which successfully pressured advertisers to stay away from radio company ARN over vulgar and sexually explicit comments by broadcaster Kyle Sandilands, threatened to launch a similar campaign against Stefanovic on Tuesday.
“We are considering running a new campaign protesting that one of @Channel9’s main ‘stars’ is now interviewing violent fascists on his podcast,” the group wrote on X.
ARN, which has signed Stefanovic to a weekly show alongside Eddie McGuire on the Gold radio network, has been contacted for comment.
Robinson is a former member of the fascist British National Party who co-founded the English Defense League, an anti-Islamic movement that has staged street demonstrations across Britain.
He had convictions for assault, mortgage fraud, using a false passport and contempt of court when he was jailed in October 2024 after ignoring a court order not to lie about a Syrian refugee who had successfully sued him for libel.
He has been condemned by several British prime ministers, including Conservative Boris Johnson, who called him a “far-right thug” who “does not represent the values of this country”.
Nine is the publisher of this imprint.
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Kishor Napier-Raman is senior business writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He previously worked as a CBD columnist and reporter in the federal parliament press gallery.Connect with: X or email.
Rob Harris is a national correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, based in Canberra. He is a former European correspondent.Connect via email.
