Stefanovic brothers’ Uber rant rocks Nine

Details of Karl and Peter Stefanovic’s Uber phone rant become public with the Nine star dishing the dirt on co-host Georgie Gardner.

Today show hosts Karl Stefanovic and Georgie Gardner.

Details of Karl and Peter Stefanovic’s secret Uber phone call have been revealed with the driver spilling the beans on the brothers’ extraordinary 45-minute spray on colleagues including Today co-host Georgie Gardner.

Today’s edition of New Idea magazine contains details of the late-night Uber journey in which Peter and his wife, Today newsreader Sylvia Jeffreys, spoke to Karl on speakerphone attacking Gardner, Today’s entertainment reporter Richard Wilkins, senior 60 Minutes staff and Nine management.

The driver claims Karl described Gardner as “wishy-washy’’ and a “fence sitter’’ and complained that she doesn’t have a real opinion of anything.

The Uber driver told the magazine Karl said Gardner “didn’t have enough opinions’’ and warned she needed to step up “if she wanted to stay on the show.’’

Of Wilkins, the brothers complained that the entertainment reporter was “overly protective of his patch’’ who “kept all the entertainment contacts close to his chest.”

It is reported New Idea paid the driver up to $50,000.

Karl also bitterly attacked Nine’s flagship program 60 Minutes during the phone call, The Australian has learnt.

Karl told his brother he believed that 60 Minutes had lost its relevance in recent years.

Under 60 Minutes executive producer Kirsty Thomson, however, the weekly show trounces Seven’s Sunday Night in the ratings every week.

Additional parts of the conversation have been revealed to The Australian by a source with knowledge of a document. It was written by an Uber driver, who took notes on the conversation after dropping off his passengers.

Weekend Today host Peter Stefanovic. Picture: AAP

Peter Stefanovic, who hosts Weekend Today but also reports in the newsroom, is said to have complained to his brother that he wanted to chase his own stories, bemoaning the lack of interest from both the newsdesk and 60 Minutes — despite having pitched a total of seven story ideas to the long-form current affairs show.

This morning, it was all smiles and business as usual on the set of Today with Karl and Georgie joking around and Peter Stefanovic and Jeffreys reporting from the bushfire fronts in NSW and Victoria.

The mood did get animated when Gardner turned to Karl and called him “pathetic’’ while speaking about his fear of dachshund dogs. Karl was apparently bitten by one as a child.

One thousand sausage dogs have braved the cold in London, taking part in a walk in celebration of the breed! #9News pic.twitter.com/5lhpqCAXd5

— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) March 18, 2018

The driver’s notes were sold through an intermediary to New Idea magazine, published by Pacific Magazines, which is owned by rival Seven West Media.

The driver is understood to have signed a statutory declaration to the effect that he did not tape the conversation, which is illegal under NSW law.

During the conversation, Peter Stefanovic is believed to have made a critical comment about Nine executives and newsroom colleagues, including senior reporter Mark Burrows.

During the Uber ride, Karl Stefanovic encouraged his younger brother to be more assertive and demand higher budgets from 60 Minutes while he is on assignment, urging him to ask for $60,000 and not to take no for an answer.

Nine went into damage control over the weekend, forcing the brothers to issue a public apology.

“We are sorry. I was angry with myself at first that I could be so stupid,” Karl Stefanovic said.

“For the record, Georgie Gardner is killing it. She’s the best thing to happen to the show in years.”

Karl Stefanovic on the Today show this morning.

Peter Stefanovic also apolo­gised.

“I did a silly thing and feel awful for any embarrassment I’ve brought to my colleagues, who I deeply ­respect.

“There’s nothing quite like having all your insecurities out there for people to see and read.”

A Nine spokeswoman said the network accepted the apology.

“Clearly it was schoolboy behaviour between brothers, but that’s no excuse. We appreciate their genuine apologies,” she said in a statement.

Nine also hosed down rumours that Karl Stefanovic ­planned to sue Uber — which has removed the driver behind the story from its platform, pending an investigation — for alleged breach of contract and privacy.

It is understood that any lawsuit would need to be instigated by the person who booked the Uber — believed to be Peter Stefanovic or Jeffreys — but Nine denied any lawsuit was pending.

An Uber spokeswoman said in a statement that it had received a complaint and had “immediately” blocked the driver from using the app.

Georgie Gardner on the Today show this morning.