Channel Nine TV presenter Karl Stefanovic has praised UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson's "tenacity" and "courage" in his latest podcast episode, where Robinson rails against "the media and the establishment", Islam, multiculturalism and hate speech laws. Stefanovic posted a clip on social media on Tuesday morning Australian time showing him walking down a London street with his arm around Robinson, who has spearheaded recent nationalist demonstrations in the UK.
Podcast Exchange and Content
In the clip, Robinson asks Stefanovic to finish a sentence: "Keir Starmer is a …." Stefanovic responds "wanker" and the pair erupt in laughter. During the near-hour-long episode of the Karl Stefanovic Show, Robinson repeated his central trope that Muslims in Britain had been "terrorising our country for decades" and were "doing it now in Australia". Stefanovic did not challenge Robinson's comments.
Robinson said he admired Pauline Hanson as someone who had defended him "from that side of the world". "Looking at her rise, do you know how happy I am for her? Because she's been through what I've been through. She's been condemned, attacked, battered, every name under the sun. And here she is. She's carried on against all of that backlash," Robinson said. "I'm a man. It's not easy. So for a woman, the amount of slander, the amount of horrible, disgusting things she's had said about her. She just carried on fighting. And truth comes out in the end."
Stefanovic's Praise and Background
Stefanovic asked Robinson: "How is the right going to take power over the next three years?" Robinson replied there was already a "cultural revolution under way". "If we change culture, politics will follow." At the end of the podcast, Stefanovic praised Robinson's "courage". "It's great to speak with you in person. I really do admire your tenacity and the courage that you're showing in trying to stand up for what you believe is right and to hear your voice."
Nine declined to comment on Stefanovic's podcast, which he runs independently of the network. Stefanovic is one of Australia's most famous television presenters, reportedly earning $2.8m at Nine, where he anchors major live news events and co-hosts the Today breakfast show. However, he is understood to be making exit plans from television. Nine approved the podcast launch late last year in return for him taking a pay cut.
Robinson's History and Legal Issues
Robinson has been a prominent figure on the far right in the UK for the best part of a decade. He was among those to share graphic footage on social media of a Sudanese refugee alleged to have carried out a knife attack on a man in Belfast this month. The viral footage led to what anti-racist group Hope Not Hate described as a trigger event, where "something horrifying happens" and it is seized on by the far right, who blame "mass migration" for it. Homes and cars were burned in the riots after the alleged incident.
Earlier this month, British police seized Robinson's phones under counter-terrorism laws on his return from a trip to Russia, where he met Elon Musk's father. He was held for about three hours before being released. Robinson has a lengthy criminal record, including convictions for violence, public order offences, financial and immigration frauds, stalking and harassing journalists, and has twice been found in contempt of court. He was banned from entering the US but was able to visit earlier this year, when he was hosted by the Trump administration.
Stefanovic's Podcast and Guest Lineup
Stefanovic's rightward shift and podcast success have prompted comparisons to US podcast host Joe Rogan, which Stefanovic has leaned into, riposting "Joe Bogan". His Australian guests have included Hanson, Barnaby Joyce, and Sean Bell from One Nation, as well as former Liberal prime ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard, and Coalition figures Alex Antic, Matt Canavan and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and South Australia's Labor premier Peter Malinauskas have also appeared.
Additional Episode with Ant Middleton
In a separate episode on Monday, Stefanovic interviewed UK activist Ant Middleton, a former soldier who has spoken at Robinson's "unite the kingdom" rallies. Middleton told Stefanovic British culture and identity were being suppressed while "outside or external cultures" were being "accelerated", leading to confusion, frustration, anger, and violence. He said he did not condone violence but "can understand the civil unrest situation". "People have had enough," he said.
Middleton, a former special forces soldier, has appeared alongside Robinson at rallies. The right-wing party Reform UK has recently appeared to distance itself from Middleton and his increasingly extreme views. Stefanovic discussed One Nation's surge in the polls in Australia and asked Middleton how to convert Reform UK's popularity into seats in parliament. Middleton lamented that the right had been led by their emotions, "over-passionate" and "over-patriotic". Stefanovic responded, "You can't be over-patriotic," before telling Middleton he was "what this country needs" and "You'd make a great prime minister." Middleton responded that there was "definitely a calling for that" but that it was at least a decade off. The pair also discussed using military forces to "stop those boats", with Middleton warning Australia to "look at the UK and you'll learn from us before you get to the stage that we're at and it's potentially too late", citing the "woke mind virus".
