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Project host Steve Price defends Karl Stefanovic following Channel Nine tirade

Mar 20, 2018

Peter and Karl Stefanovic have already apologised for the phone call. Source: Getty

Channel Nine’s golden boys Karl and Peter Stefanovic have recently come under fire after details of a 45-minute whinge-fest about their colleagues was published on Monday.

But Karl has found an unlikely ally in The Project host Steve Price, who defended the Today show host and his brother Peter on Monday’s program.

The 45-minute rant was a bitter series of complaints about their jobs and colleagues. Karl reportedly vented that his Today show co-host Georgie was “sitting on the fence” too much and that she “didn’t have enough opinions”. He added that she needed to “step up … if she wanted to stay on the show”.

Karl also reportedly became angry when discussing entertainment reporter Richard, who he accused of keeping big stories and sources “close to his chest” and being “overly protective of his patch”

But Steve said that the brothers were only doing what every worker did — talking about colleagues.

“I mean, there is nothing wrong with those two guys talking about someone they work with.”

The host added that if anyone was to blame it was the Uber driver who overheard the conversation between the two brothers and who allegedly sold the story to New Idea.

“The person who is at fault is someone who has intruded on that conversation,” Steve said. “That’s the problem.”

He went on to say that the scandal was part of ‘a wider cultural shift’, explaining that, “These days you can’t say anything. You have to stop yourself whenever you’re referring to another individual and really think twice about it”.

The Project panel seemed to agree, with long-term host Peter Helliar adding, “When you’re having a private conversation with someone, sometimes you lose the shorthand. you’re not buffering it with all the nice stuff you would say to somebody’s face”.

Co-host Carrie Bickmore also said, “I think everybody has moments when they lose their cool”.

But not everyone seems to be Karl’s biggest fan right now. Host Jessica Rowe said on Studio 10 Monday morning that Karl and Peter should not be considered “victims” in the scandal, amid allegations Karl vented his frustration at new Today co-host Georgie Gardner, who he accused of “sitting on the fence” and not having enough opinions.

“Georgie’s one of my dearest friends… the phone call shouldn’t have been recorded, or whatever, but I don’t think these two [Karl and Peter Stefanovic] are victims,” Jessica said. “If you have nothing nice to say about someone, do it behind closed doors. Do not do it on speakerphone where people are listening.”

Extracts of the conversation were published by New Idea on Monday after the magazine, which is owned by Nine rival Seven West Media, paid an Uber driver an undisclosed amount of money for his story.

News broke last week that the driver was trying to sell a recording of a conversation between the pair, however, no publisher would purchase the audio because it is illegal in New South Wales to record someone without their consent. New Idea now claims the driver denies he recorded the nearly hour-long rant and instead recounted his version of events for the magazine.