Karl Stefanovic will not appear on his scheduled Friday afternoon radio show with Eddie McGuire following widespread criticism of his podcast interview with UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson. The Today show host only recently signed a deal with ARN Media to co-host The Long Weekend nationally on Gold FM, but the threat of an advertising boycott has led to the contract being reviewed.
ARN Media has confirmed that McGuire will host the show alone this week but has not commented on its future. The chief executive of ARN, Michael Stephenson, had previously touted the show as a landmark deal, describing Stefanovic and McGuire as 'two of the biggest stars in Australian media'. However, the programme, which was set to stream across multiple platforms including Nine's 9Now and Stan, now faces an uncertain future as Nine is expected to sever ties with Stefanovic.
Nine Entertainment is anticipated to cut its relationship with Stefanovic, though details of the separation or whether his £1.5m ($2.8m AUD) contract will be paid out remain undisclosed. Sources suggest Stefanovic is unlikely to return to ARN Media, which is still recovering from an advertiser boycott linked to objections to another star personality, Kyle Sandilands, on Kiis FM.
Earlier this week, an ARN spokesperson distanced the company from Stefanovic's podcast, stating his external media activities were undertaken in a personal capacity and did not represent ARN's views. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese alluded to the situation, warning against straying too far from mainstream debate, while Senator Pauline Hanson offered Stefanovic a job in her office, claiming Nine would be 'bloody stupid' to let him go.
