One of Australia’s best-known television presenters is expected to leave his network after a backlash over a friendly podcast interview with the British far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Karl Stefanovic, who has fronted Australia’s Today breakfast programme for much of the past two decades, is expected to leave broadcaster Nine Entertainment after the interview led to widespread criticism and triggered crisis talks inside the company, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
The controversy stems from the Tuesday episode of The Karl Stefanovic Show, an independently produced podcast launched by Stefanovic in January, which featured an almost hour-long conversation with Robinson, one of the UK’s most prominent far-right agitators.
Less than 12 hours after the episode’s release, it was removed from YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Stefanovic’s departure has not been officially confirmed yet by Nine, but the broadcaster has distanced itself from the interview, saying in a statement: “The Karl Stefanovic Show is a completely independent production. Nine has no involvement, including in the guest selection and other editorial processes. However, Nine is taking this matter seriously.”
Stefanovic, 51, has not publicly commented on the fallout and is currently in London on leave from Today. The Today programme did not mention Stefanovic’s absence during Thursday morning’s broadcast.
The Independent has reached out to representatives for Stefanovic for comment.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is the former co-founder of the English Defence League, an anti-Islam street movement. He has multiple criminal convictions, including for assault, fraud, and contempt of court. In October 2024, he was jailed for 18 months after admitting 10 breaches of a court order barring him from repeating false claims about Jamal Hijazi, a Syrian refugee who successfully sued him for libel.
During the interview, Stefanovic reportedly told Robinson: “I really do admire your tenacity and the courage that you’re showing in trying to stand up for what you believe is right.”
In a promotional clip released before the episode was taken down, Robinson began talking about Sir Keir Starmer, saying: “Keir Starmer is a…” before Stefanovic interrupted to say: “W****r.”
The interview drew immediate criticism in Australia, where Stefanovic was accused of giving Robinson an uncritical platform.
The backlash intensified after activist group Mad F***ing Witches began organising an advertiser boycott targeting Today under the banner #KancelKarl.
In posts on X, formerly Twitter, the group wrote: “If you want Karl gone from Nine, we truly need your help.” It added: “It matters that we keep these fascists and far-right nutbags out of Australian broadcasting.”
Nine executives were reportedly “blindsided” by the Robinson interview and spent Wednesday in crisis meetings as pressure mounted on the network to act. The broadcaster is reported to have begun negotiating terms for Stefanovic’s exit later that evening.
Since launching The Karl Stefanovic Show, Stefanovic has featured a number of controversial right-wing figures. His first guest was Pauline Hanson, the anti-immigration leader of One Nation, whose debut episode drew more than 300,000 views on YouTube.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, senior Nine Entertainment executives had already grown frustrated with Stefanovic’s increasingly provocative podcast before the Robinson interview. Some staff had privately nicknamed him “Karl Bogan,” combining a reference to US podcaster Joe Rogan with Australian slang for a rough-edged anti-establishment figure.
The deleted Robinson interview quickly resurfaced online after Hanson uploaded the full episode to her YouTube channel. Writing on X on Wednesday, Hanson said: “It looks like they’re trying to sack my good friend Karl Stefanovic for this video with Tommy Robinson!”
Speaking to Sky News Australia later that night, Hanson said Nine would be “bloody stupid” to part ways with him and publicly offered him a job.
“Hey, guess what, Karl? I’m looking for someone in my office,” she said. “Karl, come and apply for a job with me. We’ll have a great time.”
Right-wing campaign group Revive Australia has also launched a petition urging supporters to “save” the presenter and “fight back”, attracting more than 3,500 signatures within hours, according to news.com.au.
The fallout from this has also affected Stefanovic’s newly launched radio partnership with ARN Media. He will not be appearing on Friday’s edition of The Long Weekend, a show he recently began co-hosting with Eddie McGuire, according to the Guardian.
ARN issued its own statement on the controversy, saying Stefanovic’s external media activities were conducted “in a personal capacity” and did “not represent ARN’s views, editorial standards or programming”.
Stefanovic joined Nine in 2000 and became co-host of Today in 2005, transforming him into one of the most recognisable faces on Australian television. He previously left the breakfast programme in 2018 following an off-air scandal involving disparaging remarks about colleagues, before returning in 2020.
It is not yet clear whether Stefanovic will receive a payout for the remainder of his contract, which is due to expire at the end of 2026.
