Nine presenter exits amid ‘Lambo Guy’ controversy

A prominent presenter on the Nine Today program will leave the network after accepting a $50,000 cash prize in return for comments he made on air.

Alex Cullen was stood down on Saturday after it emerged he had followed through on an offer from Melbourne-based billionaire Adrian Portelli to refer to him as “McLaren Guy” rather than the “Lambo Guy” tag he has developed in media.

Today presenter Karl Stefanovic informed viewers of Cullen’s departure on Friday morning.

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

A Nine spokesperson confirmed the presenter is leaving, following a review into the incident by the network.

The Instagram callout that Adrian Portelli posted on his account.Credit: Instagram

Portelli posted receipts of his bank transfer to Cullen with the caption: “We have a winner! Well played sir,” after the Nine presenter referred to him by his requested nickname during a live cross from the Australian Open.

On Saturday, a Nine spokesperson said Cullen was arranging for the return of the cash. Earlier in the week, the spokesperson confirmed the funds had been returned to Portelli, who later donated the money to charity on Cullen’s behalf.

Portelli claimed to have donated $25,000 to the Salvation Army and $25,000 to the RSPCA “on behalf” of Cullen on Tuesday. He said Cullen had initially told him it was his intention to donate the funds to charity.

“I’ve kept pretty quiet about what unfolded with Alex, but even before he’d heard from Ch9, we had a conversation where he expressed his desire to donate the money. That speaks volumes about his character,” Portelli said on Instagram.

Portelli gained his nickname after arriving at a house auction on the set of Nine’s property program The Block in a yellow Lamborghini, subsequently buying all five properties across the 2022, 2023, and 2024 editions of the show.

He is currently facing charges in South Australia for allegedly conducting or assisting an unlawful lottery. He has denied the charges, with his lawyer entering a not guilty plea on his behalf last week.

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