Today show presenter Alex Cullen sacked after $50,000 payment

Today star Alex Cullen has left the Nine Network following a scandal in which he allegedly accepted payment from a billionaire lottery tycoon.

Alex Cullen was stood down last week from his role as the Today show’s sports presenter pending a ‘review’. Picture: WireImage

Alex Cullen, a television presenter on Channel 9’s breakfast show Today, has left the network after accepting $50,000 from a billionaire lottery tycoon in the wake of an on-air stunt.

Cullen, 44, was stood down last week from his role as the show’s sports presenter pending a “review” after it emerged that he received $50,000 from businessman Adrian Portelli for addressing the tycoon by his preferred nickname (‘McLaren Man’’) live on air.

It’s understood that Cullen was found to have breached the company’s code of conduct as it relates to commercial arrangements.

On Friday morning, Karl Stefanovic, the co-host of Today, announced that Cullen had parted ways with Nine.

“As most of you are well aware, our colleague, Alex Cullen, has not been on air with us this past week,” Stefanovic said. “Last night, Alex and Nine agreed that he would finish with the network.

“Alex has been part of the Today family for five years now … we are going to miss him terribly. Alex is a terrific fella, what you see is what you get.”

Channel 9 Today show presenter Alex Cullen has apparently 'won' $50,000 from Adrian Portelli after Portelli ran a competition on Friday (January 17) that he would pay $50,000 to the first journalist who referred to him as McLaren Man rather than Mr Lambo on TV. Picture: Supplied/Instagram

The internal review into Cullen’s conduct took five days, and The Australian understands the company’s interim chief executive officer Matt Stanton expressed a view about Cullen’s future at the company.

Upon his appointment as interim chief executive in October last year, Mr Stanton said he was “deeply committed to embedding meaningful and lasting change at Nine”, following a year of scandal at the network that culminated in the release of the so-called Intersection report which found the organisation was beset by a toxic workplace culture.

Last week, Melbourne-based Portelli – who achieved fame in 2022 when he turned up to the house auctions of Nine’s hit show The Block in an orange Lamborghini – declared on social media that he was sick of being referred to as “Mr Lambo’’ or “Lambo Guy’’.

Mr Portelli pledged to give $50,000 to the first journalist who called him “McLaren Man’’ on air, which Cullen did last Friday.

The billionaire then posted a screenshot on social media of what appeared to be a bank transfer for the amount to an account bearing Cullen’s name.

Cullen’s shout-out to Mr Portelli during a live-cross to the Nine studio was backed up by Stefanovic, who also mentioned the tycoon’s preferred nickname on air.

It’s understood that Stefanovic was interviewed as part of the review into Cullen’s conduct, but unlike Cullen, the Today show host was not found to have breached the company’s policies.

The day after the story of the $50,000 transfer was revealed by the Sunday Herald Sun, the funds were returned to Mr Portelli, who later said he donated the money to charity on “behalf of Cullen”.

Adrian Portelli. Picture: Instagram

On Friday, just hours after Cullen’s departure was announced, Nine’s director of news and current affairs Fiona Dear sent an email to staff in her division, reminding them of their “ethical obligations in relation to third-party commercial arrangements”. “The way we conduct ourselves as broadcast journalists and on-air talent is integral to retaining the trust of our viewers,” Ms Dear said.

Mr Portelli runs a subscription-based company – similar to a raffle – where punters buy “entries” into giveaways where they have the opportunity to win cars, boats, cash and even homes. In December he was charged with nine offences, and his company Xclusive Tech with 10 offences, over several lotteries that offered properties from Nine’s The Block as a prize.