From laid-back larrikin to ‘Joe Bogan’, Karl Stefanovic’s 20 years at the helm of Channel Nine’s the Today show is reportedly coming to an end.
The Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday night reported there were “crisis meetings” at Nine’s Sydney headquarters and was negotiating terms for Stefanovic to leave the network.
News of Stefanovic’s possible departure came as fallout from his interview with a far-right British extremist as part of The Karl Stefanovic Show podcast, which is independent from Nine.
The 51-year-old had recorded a conversation with Tommy Robinson, one of the most divisive anti-immigration voices in the United Kingdom who co-founded the far-right English Defence League movement.
During the weekly podcast episode, Robinson made claims Australia’s traditional values were under attack and the country was losing its culture.
While Stefanovic did not explicitly endorse Robinson’s opinions during the interview, he said he admired his courage.
Stefanovic interviewed controversial British far-right figure Robinson for his podcast. (Supplied: The Karl Stefanovic Show)
Robinson’s views were not challenged either, with Stefanovic at one point saying to his interviewee: “God I love ya.”
The interview was removed from podcast platforms hours after it was filmed and was later re-shared in full by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.
On Wednesday night, Nine said in a statement: “The network has no involvement, including in the guest selection and other editorial processes. However, we are taking this matter seriously.”
Twenty years with the Today show
Born in New South Wales but raised in Queensland, Stefanovic started as a cadet for WIN Television in Rockhampton and Cairns before becoming a fill-in presenter for Nine News on the Gold Coast.
In 2005 he graduated to breakfast television as co-host of the Today show alongside Tracey Grimshaw, where he became known for his laid-back larrikin persona.
Stefanovic spent more than two decades working on the Today show. (Supplied)
He earned widespread praise for his coverage of the Beaconsfield Mine disaster in 2006, as well as for his reporting on the Brisbane floods and Cyclone Yasi, and the Japan earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
His ability to switch from hard news presenter to playful breakfast TV personality buoyed him to popularity and later earnt him a coveted Gold Logie that same year.
In 2014, Stefanovic revealed he wore the same suit every day while presenting the program with Lisa Wilkson.
He claimed it was part of a “social experiment” to see if anyone judged his fashion choices as harshly as his female co-host.
‘Ubergate’ incident
Stefanovic’s time co-hosting one of Australia’s most well-known television morning programs had its fair share of highs and lows.
From 2007, Stefanovic and Wilkinson shared the helm on Today until 2017, when reports of a pay dispute leaked to the media.
Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson co-hosted the Today show for 10 years. (Getty Images)
Wilkinson left the network after turning down a counter offer of $1.8 million from Nine following her requests that her salary be matched to Stefanovic’s $2 million contract.
When new co-host Georgie Gardner stepped into the role, Stefanovic made headlines for the infamous 2018 ‘Ubergate’ saga.
Stefanovic’s Uber driver had leaked a 45-minute phone conversation Stefanovic had with his brother Pete and his wife Sylvia Jefferies, where they criticised Gardner, entertainment reporter Richard Wilkins and Nine bosses.
The incident led the Stefanovic brothers to issue a public apology to their colleagues.
Stefanovic was heard disparaging his co-host Georgie Gardner in 2018. (Supplied: Instagram @georgiegardner9)
After 14 years with Today, Stefanovic abruptly stepped down from co-hosting the breakfast program in 2018, but stayed with the network to host the show This Time Next Year.
A second wind
Stefanovic returned to the Today couch in 2020 to co-host alongside Ally Langdon, until her last day in late 2022 when she went on to host A Current Affair.
Throughout those years with Langdon, Stefanovic reported on the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the devastating Black Summer bushfires.
More recently, he had been co-hosting with Langdon’s replacement, Sarah Abo.
The 51-year-old announced his foray into podcasting in late January. (Supplied: The Karl Stefanovic Show)
In January 2026, Stefanovic announced on Instagram he was launching into the world of podcasting with The Karl Stefanovic Show.
“This show will be the people I know you want to hear from too — across politics, sport, business and culture,” he wrote.
“Unfiltered. Unscripted. Uncensored. I’ll go there. Why not?“
Stefanovic once called himself “Joe Bogan” when asked whether he was the Aussie version of American podcaster Joe Rogan.
Guests on his show have included radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands, controversial celebrity chef Pete Evans, former Liberal prime ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard and Northern Territory Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
During an episode in February where he interviewed vaccine critic Gerard Rennick, Stefanovic caused controversy when he said he was “legitimately sorry” for encouraging Australians to get the COVID-19 jab during the Nine network’s messaging campaign.
“I have regrets from that time, and I am definitely sorry for the role I played in not questioning the science, in not questioning more the government mandates,” he said.
Media experts have suggested his most recent interview with Robinson was not the image Nine wanted for the Today host.
