Nine staffers’ shock after learning their well-liked colleague Cullen had been sacked

Nine’s decision to sack Today star Alex Cullen could force acting CEO Matt Stanton to deal with a glaring elephant in the room.

Channel 9’s decision to sack Today star Alex Cullen over the $50,000 “Lambo Guy” stunt could force acting CEO Matt Stanton to the table to deal with the elephant in the room at Nine – the dual set of standards that has long applied to Today anchor Karl Stefanovic and the rest.

As Nine staffers privately expressed their shock on Friday after learning their well liked colleague Cullen, Today’s sports presenter and a veritable cleanskin, had been sacked after receiving $50,000 from Melbourne entrepreneur Adrian “Lambo Guy” Portelli, Nine brought in outside PR muscle to shut down claims Stefanovic had been interviewed by management after joking with Cullen on air that he would split the payment with him.

To be clear, unlike Cullen, Stefanovic received no payment from Portelli for the plug.

Cullen’s sacking comes after Nine spent a week conducting what PR operatives are calling a “comprehensive review” of the incident in which Cullen called Portelli “McLaren Guy” after Portelli offered a cash inducement to the first TV journalist to do so.

Today Show sports presenter Alex Cullen at the Australian Open. Picture: Facebook

Sports reporter Alex Cullen was stood down after he accepted a $50,000 prize from billionaire Adrian Portelli. Picture Today Show

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On January 17 Cullen plugged Portelli in a TV cross from the Australian Open to Nine’s Today.

It prompted veteran Stefanovic to repeat the plug and joke that the two men might split the cash prize.

Nine’s new PR muscle, Bespoke Approach – an outfit Nine retained to manage corporate crises after Nine publishing executive James Chessell briefly joined the PR outfit as partner last year before returning to Nine six months later as editor-in-chief of the AFR – refused to comment on Friday or address claims Stefanovic was interviewed by management over the matter.

Unlike Cullen, Stefanovic – who saw his salary slashed to $1.5 million under former Nine CEO Hugh Marks but managed to claw back another million under Marks’s replacement Mike Sneesby, a man Stefanovic calls his friend – has had his share of dramas over the years requiring management intervention.

Karl is pictured with wife Jasmine Stefanovic. Picture: Mark Stewart

In 2018 he was given an official warning by management after an Uber driver went public with a back seat rant involving Stefanovic, his younger brother Peter and Peter’s wife, fellow Nine star Sylvia Jeffreys.

The driver told New Idea magazine Peter Stefanovic spent 45 minutes talking to his brother on speakerphone.

During the rant the two took aim at Karl’s then co-host Georgie Gardner and colleagues Richard Wilkins and Mark Burrows along with Nine executives.

One Sydney newspaper which was soon after folded into Nine reported the driver’s claim:

“Karl suggested Pete pitch ideas and say he needs $60k and not to take no for an answer, but Pete said his ideas were always knocked back and it was sucking the life out of him.”

By the end of 2018 Karl Stefanovic had been demoted and taken off Today while Peter had departed to “explore new opportunities”.

Cullen was stood down after banking $50k from Adrian Portelli. Picture: NewsWire/ David Crosling

He’s now a presenter on Sky News.

Karl Stefanovic also created problems for Nine with his habitual plugs for Bundaberg Rum – a bottle of which he could be seen carrying as he jetted out of Sydney for his 2018 wedding to Jasmine Yarbrough after being stood down for other reasons from Today. He was reappointed 12 months later.

A Nine insider yesterday said Stefanovic has for too long been allowed to “get away with murder” at Nine.

“He serially ingratiates himself to successive CEOs and executives and is forgiven for the things others simply don’t get away with,” one insider said on Friday.

Another recounted Stefanovic sticking his neck out for soon-to-depart CEO Sneesby in June 2024 and presenting a staff meeting in which he urged “men to do better” at Nine while encouraging staff to participate in what would become Nine’s damning culture review.

On Friday Stefanovic announced his colleague’s departure.

“Alex is a terrific fella, what you see is what you get and he has been a great mate to all of us over these years and we wish Alex, his wife Bonnie and his beautiful kids all the very best for the future.”

Cullen, whose has three young children with wife Bonnie, a reporter at Nine Publishing, was on a $250k package at Nine.

Originally published as Nine staffers’ shock after learning their well-liked colleague Cullen had been sacked