Channel 9 star Alex Cullen absent from Today Show after $50k blunder with Lambo Guy

Alex Cullen was missing from the Today on Monday morning after a $50k incident with billionaire Adrian Portelli.

Channel 9’s Today show sports presenter Alex Cullen was absent from the program on Monday morning.

After being stood down by the network on Saturday for accepting a $50,000 prize from Melbourne billionaire Adrian Portelli, Cullen who had been reporting from Melbourne Park was replaced by Clint Stanaway.

“Anything going on down there mate?” co-host Karl Stefanovic asked Stanaway.

He replied: “Very quiet, just trying to find a story.”

Channel 9 Today Show sports reporter Alex Cullen has stood down after he accepted a $50,000 prize from billionaire Adrian Portelli. Picture: Today Show

Reporter Christine Ahern was also live from Melbourne Park reporting on the Tony Jones and Novak Djokovic situation.

Stefanovic and co-host Sarah Abo then made a lighthearted reference to it.

“He’s going to come down and make everything right with Novak,” Abo said before throwing to sport.

Stanaway said: “I thought it might have been one of Joe Biden’s last acts but Karlos you’re as good as that.”

Abo said: “You are the person who got the network the Olympics.”

Stefanovic replied: “That’s true, I’ve done a lot of great stuff.”

Adrian Portelli shared Alex Cullen's Instagram story in which Cullen did a shout out to Portelli, referring to him as "McLaren Man' on the Today Show. Picture: Supplied/Instagram.

Cullen, an experienced journalist, moved across to Nine in 2019 after almost a decade as a senior correspondent on Channel Seven’s flagship public affairs program Sunday Night.

“For me, it’s the dream TV job,’’ he said of his sports role.

“I get to work with the best in the business and follow one of my great passions. Sport is one of the great unifiers and in a country like ours, it’s a privilege to give our loyal audience that all-important sports fix every weekday morning.”

He has yet to comment on the payment from Portelli. It’s believed he was going to return the money after Nine became aware.

Portelli, who founded trade promotions company LMCT+, had put a call out on social media offering $50,000 to the first TV journalist who called him “McLaren Guy” and not “Lambo Guy” on air.