‘I really went to some dark places’: Ousted Today presenter Alex Cullen confirms TV return, signs new deal with Seven
Alex Cullen has revealed the details of his new television role, as he opens up about the painful personal toll of the ‘Lambo guy’ scandal that nearly derailed his career.
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Former Today Show presenter Alex Cullen has revealed his TV comeback – nearly seven months after his departure from Nine Network in the wake of the “Lambo guy” controversy that nearly ended his career.
In a Stellar exclusive, Cullen speaks for the first time about the fallout from his decision to accept a public offer from billionaire businessman Adrian Portelli – widely known as “Lambo guy” – to be the first TV host to use Portelli’s preferred nickname of “McLaren Man” on air in return for a $50,000 payment.
Cullen was stood down from his role as sports presenter of the Today show soon after, and later announced that he was leaving the network in the wake of the incident.
Speaking to the Stellar podcast Something To Talk About, Cullen described it as “the hardest, toughest week of my career”.
Listen to the full interview with Alex Cullen on Something To Talk About:
“Never in a million years did I expect that all to go down. That week was just a whirlwind, like, is this really happening? And it absolutely was.”
Cullen also reflected on the toll that his being in the middle of a media storm had taken on his family: “You know, you try and shield your kids from what’s going on”.
“Did they know what was going on? I think they did. They saw me on the phone, pacing, trying to survive.”
In the interview, Cullen — who has since moved his family to Melbourne, where he will join breakfast radio show The Christian O’Connell Show as a sports presenter from tomorrow — also exclusively revealed ro Stellar that he has signed a new TV deal with the Seven Network.
“It’s been in the works for a little while, and it’s wonderful to be going back to Seven,” Cullen told Something To Talk About.
“After everything went down [at Nine earlier this year], Seven were one of the first on the phone to say: ‘You have our support, and if you want to come back, we’re a phone call away.’”
Cullen admitted that he thought his media career was over after he left Nine. “You question your judgement. You question everything, really … you just think, you idiot.
“I really went to some dark places. Because everything you work towards – everything you love and know – is suddenly gone. And you’re like, whoa. OK, what now? That was a hard pill to swallow. I thought, I’m out now. There’s no way I’m getting back in.”
In the revealing interview with the Stellar podcast, Cullen explained that he was at peace with how his relationship with Nine ended, and that he had spoken to Portelli in the aftermath.
“He felt bad about what had transpired, and I assured him: hey, it was me standing there that morning saying those words,” Cullen said.
Listen to the full interview with Alex Cullen on Something To Talk About:
Read, watch and listen to Stellar’s interview with Alex Cullen on Something To Talk About wherever you get your podcasts. Read the full cover story in the new issue of Stellar, out today inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (Victoria), The Sunday Mail (Queensland) and Sunday Mail (SA).
For more from Stellar and Something To Talk About click here.
Originally published as ‘I really went to some dark places’: Ousted Today presenter Alex Cullen confirms TV return, signs new deal with Seven
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