The Karl Stefanovic era at Nine is over. After more than two decades as one of Australian television’s most recognisable faces, the Today show host was dumped on Friday morning 0 effective immediately – after his independent podcast interview with British far-right figure Tommy Robinson triggered a full day of executive crisis talks at the network.
But the more interesting question – and the one that will determine the future of Australian breakfast television – is what comes next.
The almost-hour-long episode of The Karl Stefanovic Show, which is produced independently of Nine, was published on Tuesday evening and pulled down by the following morning. In it, Stefanovic told Robinson – the co-founder of the now-defunct anti-Islam English Defence League, who has multiple criminal convictions and has been banned from several social media platforms for hateful conduct – that he admired his “tenacity” and “courage.”
Nine initially distanced itself from the podcast, calling it “a completely independent production” but adding it was “taking this matter seriously.” By Friday morning, the relationship was over.
“Nine Entertainment and Karl Stefanovic have agreed that it is no longer possible for him to continue hosting Today at the same time as his independent podcast,” a Nine spokesperson said. “While Karl and Nine had previously agreed he would leave Today at the end of this year, they have subsequently decided he will leave the Network immediately.”
In a note to staff, Nine’s news and current affairs executive director Fiona Dear acknowledged the challenging period for the Today show team and said the network would share plans for the show “very soon.”
Pauline Hanson, whose One Nation party was praised repeatedly by Robinson during the interview, reposted the deleted episode on her own YouTube channel, offered Stefanovic a job and told Sky News that Nine would be “bloody stupid” to sack him.
Stefanovic’s departure leaves Nine without a male anchor for its flagship breakfast show six months ahead of schedule. And to complicate matters further, co-anchor Sarah Abo is eight months pregnant and planning to head on maternity leave, meaning any replacement will initially be making their mark alongside a fill-in host.
Industry veteran Rob McKnight, who has worked in TV production for over 30 years across Seven, Ten, Nine and Prime, told Mumbrella: “I have to say, I don’t think there’s one clear choice to take Karl’s position. When you look at the transitions from Sunrise with new hosts, it’s always been pretty obvious who will come in next. They’ve been groomed. But I haven’t seen that with the Today show.”
Here are the names being discussed:
Tom Steinfort — Nine’s Melbourne-based news anchor and the man most often mentioned as the natural successor. He is a solid, reliable broadcaster who already has strong chemistry with the Nine news team. The safe choice – and in breakfast television, safe is not a dirty word.
Charles Croucher — Nine’s Canberra political correspondent, who McKnight says offers “much more value as a political correspondent” and whose move to breakfast would leave a significant gap in Nine’s Canberra coverage. A strong journalist but an untested breakfast performer.
Joel Dry — Recently installed in Brisbane’s 6pm bulletin and singled out by McKnight as someone “who did a great job” filling in during Stefanovic’s absences. A younger option who could represent a generational reset.
David Campbell — A familiar face within the Nine stable who has filled in on Today numerous times and has the warmth and likability that breakfast television demands.
Clint Stanaway — Another Nine presenter whose name has been circulating in industry discussions.
Matt Shirvington — The Sunrise co-host and former Olympian who is widely regarded as the dream poaching target. However, insiders say luring him from Seven “would take a miracle” because he is “very happy” at Channel Seven and has “no plans to go anywhere.”
The smokey: Liam Bartlett
One name that has not appeared in the mainstream speculation but deserves serious consideration is Seven’s Liam Bartlett.
The Perth-born journalist, who turns 65 next week, has spent more than 30 years across television, radio and print. He anchored Channel Nine News in Perth, hosted The 7.30 Report on ABC TV, reported from the Melbourne bureau of A Current Affair and spent years as a senior reporter on 60 Minutes before leaving Nine in 2022 and joining Seven’s 7NEWS Spotlight as Chief Correspondent.
Bartlett is a former Nine man who knows the network’s culture intimately. He has the gravitas and journalistic credibility that Nine may feel it needs after the Stefanovic debacle. He is an engaging screen presence with a warmth that translates well to the breakfast format. And unlike many of the internal candidates, he brings genuine investigative journalism credentials — including a Churchill Fellowship, multiple New York Festival awards and some of the most hard-hitting current affairs reporting of the past two decades.
The argument against him is his age and the fact that he is based in Perth, though relocation has never been an obstacle for the right opportunity. The argument for him is that after a week in which Nine’s credibility has taken a significant hit, Bartlett represents exactly the kind of serious, respected journalism that the network may want to project.
It would be a surprise appointment. But in a week of surprises, stranger things have happened.
University of Sydney media expert Professor Catharine Lumby told AAP that the decision was not entirely surprising given Stefanovic’s drift from the playful breakfast larrikin persona toward a more politically provocative role as a podcaster.
“We’re living in a very unhinged world, where polarisation is rife, driven by social media and their algorithms, and that includes podcasting more broadly,” Professor Lumby said. “What’s really fashionable at the moment is a lot of shouting, and you see that on the left and on the right.”
McKnight pointed to the stark contrast with how Seven manages its breakfast transitions: “Kochie leaves, there’s a big farewell. Matt Shirvington comes in. Melissa Doyle leaves. Sam Armytage is there waiting. Big handovers. It’s all lovely. It’s the family. When was the last time we had a proper goodbye for someone on the Today show? Lisa got cancelled. Georgie got cancelled. Deb cancelled. Karl out the door.”
Nine now faces one of the most consequential programming decisions in its recent history. Whoever sits in that chair on Monday morning will define the future of the Today show — and, to some extent, the network itself.
The only certainty is that it won’t be Karl.
Additional reporting AAP
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