Brutal fallout from Alex Cullen’s Adrian Portelli scandal revealed

Karl Stefanovic has given viewers a savage update on his colleague, a week after he was taken off-air over his Adrian Portelli scandal.

Today show presenter Alex Cullen is “stepping down permanently” after he was taken off air for accepting a $50,000 gift from Block billionaire Adrian Portelli.

Cullen’s Nine colleague Karl Stefanovic announced the news on air this morning, after Cullen had been absent from screens for the entire week.

“As most of you are well aware, our colleague Alex Cullen has not been on air with us this past week,” Stefanovic said.

“There has been widespread reporting on the circumstances surrounding this, what I can say is that last night, Alex and Nine agreed that he would finish with the network.

“Alex has, of course, been part of the Today family for five years now, he’s always ready with a smile and a laugh and without hesitation speaking for all of us here, we can say that we are going to miss him terribly, that’s for sure.

Alex Cullen has parted ways with Nine.

“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.”

The shocking development comes after Cullen was at the centre of a bizarre controversy over the past week regarding his acceptance of a huge cash gift from one of Australia’s most public billionaires.

How Nine announced the news this morning.

Known for his splashy, attention-grabbing antics – including buying every single house at auction during The Block’s 2024 season finale – billionaire businessman Portelli recently announced he was sick of the “Lambo man” nickname frequently used to refer to him in public (so-named for his first appearance on The Block, when he arrived at the show’s season 18 auctions in an eye-catching Lamborghini).

Portelli promised a big prize to media who’d call him by his preferred nickname. Picture: NewsWire/ David Crosling

Nine presenter Cullen leapt at the opportunity.

So he put a call out to the media: A $50,000 prize to the first journalist or presenter who would publicly refer to him by his new preferred nickname, “McLaren Man,” based on his latest preferred luxury car.

Cullen obliged, calling Portelli by the new nickname on-air during the Today show’s January 17 episode.

“Adrian Portelli, aka the McLaren Guy, likely to make an appearance here as well,” he said, reporting live from the Australian Open in Melbourne.

“Lambo Guy - it’s a different luxury car,” co-host Sarah Abo corrected.

“It’s definitely McLaren - we can split the 50 grand. I’ve got ya,” Stefanovic quipped.

Cullen shared footage of the moment on his Instagram account afterwards, tagging Portelli in the post.

And it seemed Portelli was true to his word, sharing a screenshot of a bank transfer that appeared to show he had indeed sent $50k straight over to Cullen’s bank account.

Cullen posted proof he’d called Portelli by his approved nickname on-air …

… and Portelli promptly paid up.

The fallout was swift, with Cullen’s employer appearing none too pleased with what had very publicly transpired.

“Nine is taking this matter extremely seriously,” a Nine spokesperson said in a statement to news.com.au.

“Appropriate action has been promptly taken, including arranging for the funds to be returned.

“While we review the circumstances in which this occurred, Alex has agreed to stand down.”

But in a surprise twist, it appeared many viewers sided with Cullen, as dozens of commenters flooded the TV presenter’s social media with messages of support. Some even vowed to boycott Nine until he was back on the air.

Portelli later insisted on social media that Cullen had intended to donate the money to charity, and donated the returned funds himself: “Alex Cullen… on behalf of you, mate, $25,000 to the Salvation Army and $25,000 to the RSPCA,” he wrote.

Several points on the Media and Entertainment Arts Alliance Journalist Code of Ethics relate to the acceptance of cash and gifts. The code states that journalists should not “allow any payment, gift or benefit, to undermine your accuracy, fairness or independence,” and that they should “not improperly use a journalistic position for personal gain.”

A journalist of more than 20 years’ experience, Cullen has worked as a news and sports presenter and spent many years as a reporter on Seven’s Sunday Night program before moving back to Nine in 2019.

Originally published as Brutal fallout from Alex Cullen’s Adrian Portelli scandal revealed