Karl Stefanovic speaks out about Nine Exit following the Tommy Robinson scandal
Popular Australian TV presenter Karl Stefanovic has spoken out following his departure from Nine Entertainment: post a video on YouTube He declared himself “free, truly independent” and framed the split as a stand for an editorial principle – days after an episode of his podcast “The Karl Stefanovic Show” with British far-right agitator Tommy Robinson.
“Nine Entertainment and Karl Stefanovic have agreed that it is no longer possible for him to continue co-hosting ‘Today’ with his independent podcast,” the network said in a statement to Variety. “Although Karl and Nine had previously agreed that he would leave ‘Today’ at the end of this year, they have subsequently decided that he will leave the network immediately.”
Nine CEO Matt Stanton described the timing in an email to staff as the “right time” for Stefanovic to move on.
In the YouTube video, Stefanovic said an emotional farewell to his free-to-air audience. “I’m free, truly independent. I didn’t get the chance to thank my free-to-air audience for 21 great years,” he said. “Thank you for going through the ups and downs. You have my thanks, and you have all my love.” He singled out co-host Sarah Abo – who will be on maternity leave in August – and asked her to “take care of everyone,” acknowledging that the previous days had been difficult. “It hasn’t been easy the last few days, but we’ll keep going,” he said.
Stefanovic addressed the controversy directly, defending his editorial approach as a matter of public interest. “The public deserves to hear perspectives,” he said. “This country was built by hard-working Australians from all over the world, and they were bound by the same values, but very different experiences. So on my show, I’ve talked to people who have different perspectives. I know that turns some people on. Sometimes I agree with everything a guest says. Sometimes I don’t. But more importantly, you get to make a decision.” He added, “Freedom of speech here and around the world, that’s what this show is about. You don’t have to listen to my show. You have the power. You’re smart enough to make up your mind.” Stefanovic thanked existing sponsors and called for new ones, confirming that the independent podcast would continue.
The episode at the center of the crisis — a 55-minute interview with Robinson, whose legal name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — was scrubbed from Stefanovic’s YouTube channel, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and social media less than a day after it aired, without explanation. Australian far-right politician Pauline Hanson then reposted the full interview on her own YouTube channel under the title “CANCELLED: The Full Interview with Karl Stefanovic and Tommy Robinson,” and captioned it with a defense of Stefanovic and a broadside against Nine’s management. At the time of writing, the video had been viewed more than 413,000 times.
During the interview, Robinson claimed there is an uprising in Australia and expressed his admiration for Hanson, while Stefanovic complimented Robinson’s tenacity and suggested some of Hanson’s ideas were gaining popularity among mainstream voters. Robinson co-founded the far-right English Defense League in 2009 and was one of its leaders until 2013; Before that, he was a member of the far-right British National Party from 2004 to 2005. He has been denied an Australian visa twice and has been criminally convicted several times.
