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Karl Stefanovic to leave Nine immediately,
Karl Stefanovic is leaving Nine immediately, the network said in a statement this morning.
It follows days of controversy in which the highly paid Today presenter used his independent podcast series to interview British far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
“Nine Entertainment and 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 Entertainment 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.
Key events
In an internal email sent to staff, seen by Guardian Australia, Nine’s chief executive officer Matt Stanton said “you would have seen a lot of media reporting around Karl Stefanovic and his future here at Nine”.
“We’ve … announced this morning that after more than 20 years it’s the right time for Karl to move on from Today and from Nine,” the email says.
Karl has been a fixture on our screens for over two decades, so we know this is a significant change for our viewers and all of us here at Nine, however it’s the right time to make it.
Here’s a hot-off-the-presses explainer of the controversy that appears to have cost Stefanovic his planned long and cruisey farewell from Nine:
Karl Stefanovic to leave Nine immediately,
Karl Stefanovic is leaving Nine immediately, the network said in a statement this morning.
It follows days of controversy in which the highly paid Today presenter used his independent podcast series to interview British far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
“Nine Entertainment and 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 Entertainment 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.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
Nine has confirmed this morning that Today host Karl Stefanovic is leaving the network “immediately” as it was “no longer possible” for him to both host Today and run his independent podcast. More on this soon.
We’re also kicking off with some rather frank comments from the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, about his own department, which he says “hasn’t performed as well as it could” and spent too long in meetings without making decisions.
And there’s plenty of more news to come, stick with us.
