00:00I'm weaker. So I'm free. Truly independent. I didn't get the chance to thank my free-to-air
00:07audience for 21 great years, so thank you for riding the ups and downs. You have my thanks
00:13and you have all of my love. Today Show host Carl Stefanovic said he was free,
00:18while emotional colleagues were left fighting back tears after his abrupt exit from Channel 9
00:24ended a TV career spanning more than two decades.
00:27And look, we know there has been a lot of speculation about Carl's future with the show.
00:31This morning we wanted to inform you that Carl will not be returning to the Today Show or to 9.
00:37Staff at Today were emailed early on Friday, June 26th, 2026, with news Stefanovic would be leaving
00:44the network, effective immediately, after a controversial interview with British far-right
00:50personality Tommy Robinson on Carl's personal podcast.
00:53Tommy, great to talk with you, finally. You have tested the boundaries. I feel like
00:58it's got, you know, even harder for you in some ways, but also your message is finally
01:02getting out there. Is that correct?
01:04Stefanovic had been a fixture for the network for 26 years and became one of Australian television's
01:10most recognisable faces after joining Today in 2005, later winning a Gold Logie.
01:18Carl Stefanovic.
01:22Soon after Stefanovic published his independent interview with Tommy Robinson, the podcast was
01:28removed from social media.
01:31Robinson is a well-known anti-immigration voice in the UK and a leader in the anti-Islam
01:37protest organisation known as the English Defence League.
01:42Nine's Executive Director for News and Current Affairs, Fiona Deer, said,
01:46Protecting freedom of speech is at the core of nine news and current affairs. We have a rich
01:52history of interviewing controversial figures, and journalists have an obligation to ask difficult
01:57questions. Part of what makes us tick is trying to understand why people are the way they are,
02:03or think the way they think. We welcome open debate and challenging norms with constructive,
02:10balanced arguments.
02:11As journalists, we play a critical role in society to question, challenge, and hold people to account,
02:18regardless of where they come from, or which political party or views they represent.
02:27Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'll figure it out.
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