Karl Stefanovic has revealed how he learned he had been dismissed from the Today show, saying celebrity accountant Anthony Bell delivered the news during a phone call.
The 52-year-old former television presenter was terminated by Nine on June 26, after widespread criticism surrounding his podcast interview with far-Right activist Tommy Robinson.
Speaking on Mark Beretta’s new podcast, Beretts’ Best, alongside former Sunrise presenter David ‘Kochie’ Koch, Stefanovic discussed the circumstances of his exit and his wife Jasmine’s reaction.
Stefanovic said he was at Heathrow Airport when Bell called and told him Nine had decided to end his contract.
“I was at Heathrow Airport and I got a call from Anthony Bell, who said, ‘Mate, they’re pulling up stumps and you’re being terminated,’” he recalled.
“For me, that’s very final. I’ve got a lot to think about. I remember sitting down and just going, ‘That’s just a lot to take in.’”
He then phoned Jasmine, who he said was deeply upset by the news. “I may be accused of being naive, but I don’t do things to deliberately upset people,” Stefanovic said.
Karl Stefanovic discussed his departure from the Today show during an appearance on Mark Beretta’s new podcast, Beretts’ Best, where he was joined by former Sunrise host David ‘Kochie’ Koch
The former Today host acknowledged that his professional decisions had consequences for those around him, particularly his family.
“The effects of my decision-making have a multitude of effects on other people. Mainly the people closest to me — that’s the most difficult to navigate,” he said.
Stefanovic also reflected on the farewell message he recorded for viewers while sitting in a London park shortly after discovering he had been fired by the Nine Network.
By then, he said, he had reached a sense of relief and was prepared to move on, even though the circumstances were not what he had imagined.
“By that point, I was relieved. I was ready to go. I was ready to leave the show. It wasn’t in the way I wanted, but in the end, I was excited about the future,” he explained.
He added that he intended to remain true to himself despite any criticism. “Even with that stuff, and whatever criticism happens, that’s me and that’s how I’m going to handle stuff. I’m never going to pretend to be anything else,” he said.
Stefanovic said he had mentally stepped away from the Today role months before his dismissal, after losing his enthusiasm for the job while covering the Bondi shootings.
Fifteen people were killed at Bondi Beach on December 14 in an antisemitic, Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack during the Chanukah by the Sea festival.
Stefanovic said he was at Heathrow Airport when Anthony Bell called to tell him Nine had terminated his contract. He later phoned his wife Jasmine, who was “really upset” by the news
Sajid Akram, who was killed by police during the attack, and his son Naveed Akram allegedly shot dead 11 men, three women and a 10-year-old girl.
‘I was done… After I did Bondi, it was just too much for me,’ he said.
‘That would have been harrowing,’ Kochie, 70, said.
‘I was around very high emotions at Bondi. I’d done it before on many occasions—the Nice terror attack, the Brussels terror attack, the Bali bombings,’ Karl added.
‘There was a series of things that I’d done and I’d always been able to compartmentalise.
‘For some reason, this being my backyard, I knew a lot of the people who lived there, and I was like, “I don’t want to be here doing any more reporting.” I used to love it.’
Karl went on to address the farewell video he filmed for fans while sitting in a London park after learning he was fired from Nine Network.
‘I used to love the hours and hours live on air when you’re doing those things. This is an awful thing to say, but journos do get a buzz out of it,’ he added.
‘I got no buzz no more, and that said a lot about where I was mentally about my future.’
Elsewhere in the interview, Karl went on to throw his support behind One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.
‘She is a force in the country. There is no other way to describe it… She hasn’t changed in 20 years,’ Karl said.
‘That may work against her but I think it’s, at the moment, working for her because she’s been consistent. Don’t like it, don’t vote for it. The woman is doing the miles.
‘I like her personally. I like plenty of people on both sides of politics personally.’
Karl said he had mentally checked out of his role as Today host months before he was axed, having lost his ‘buzz’ for the job after covering the Bondi shootings. Pictured: grandparents of 10-year-old Matilda, who was killed during the Bondi mass shooting
‘That woman means a lot to people at the moment because they feel that they’re not getting heard and she presses the flesh more than anyone else I’ve ever seen,’ he added.
‘It won’t surprise me if she takes it all away.’
It comes just days after Karl’s podcast business partner launched urgent Supreme Court action to stop the former TV star from forcing her out of the venture they built together.
Keshnee Ibrahim filed an application in the Supreme Court on Monday seeking to prevent Karl from removing her as a director of 123 Podcast Pty Ltd, the parent company of The Karl Stefanovic Show, at a meeting scheduled for Friday.
Keshnee is also asking the court to order Karl to buy out her 45 per cent stake in the business at a reasonable market price.
The legal action marks a dramatic escalation in the breakdown between the pair, who launched The Karl Stefanovic Show podcast earlier this year.
The pair are joint major shareholders in the company, which was registered in February, with each holding an equal 45 per cent.
Anthony Bell, Karl’s accountant and business adviser, holds the remaining 10 per cent.
Sources say Keshnee had repeatedly proposed an independent valuation of the business ahead of a potential buyout, but negotiations stalled about a month ago.
