Outrage fuels right-wing firebrands as Nine deals with Karl Stefanovic

Today show host Karl Stefanovic is expected to leave Channel Nine after a podcast interview with British far-right figure Tommy Robinson, Nine Newspapers is reporting.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports Nine was negotiating terms for Stefanovic to leave the network after "crisis meetings" at Nine's Sydney headquarters on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday night Nine told 7.30 they would not announce anything this evening about Stefanovic’s future.

Robinson is one of the most divisive anti-immigration voices in the United Kingdom and he co-founded the far-right English Defence League movement.

In a promotional video for the podcast, Stefanovic and Robinson have their arms around each other and discuss the resignation of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Robinson says, "Can I ask you a question? Keir Starmer is a-"

"Wanker," Stefanovic finishes.

Earlier on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Nine said Stefanovic's podcast, The Karl Stefanovic Show, was a completely independent production and that Channel Nine had no involvement in it, including in guest selection and other editorial processes.

"However, Nine is taking this matter seriously," the spokesperson said.

Stefanovic, who is in the UK and not on Nine's screens on Wednesday, has been contacted for comment.

Last year, Stefanovic celebrated working for more than two decades at the helm of one of Australia's most well-known television morning programs.

'Joe Bogan'

Stefanovic once called himself "Joe Bogan" when asked whether he was the Aussie version of American podcaster, Joe Rogan.

But the breakfast TV king's foray into the medium, which attracts millions of listeners online, has given his employer Channel Nine a headache, after Stefanovic got cosy on the couch with Tommy Robinson.

"Now that's not the kind of Channel Nine image," veteran media analyst, Steve Allen, told 7.30.

"The Today Show kind of image is warm, friendly, authoritative. This is very different."

"It could just be that after the podcast went, some of the social media commentary started to come out, that Karl went, 'whoops, might have gone one step too far, this might not be the smartest thing'."

When Stefanovic launched The Karl Stefanovic Show in January, his inaugural guest was One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.

After Stefanovic pulled the Robinson podcast from streaming platforms, Senator Hanson was quick to repost the entire hour-long episode, claiming Channel Nine was trying to sack her "good friend" over the interview.

"What sells on the web is outrage, outrage fuelled by algorithms," communications consultant, Toby Ralph told 7.30.

"If I were trying to do a commercial podcast I'd be looking for outrageous figures who say outrageous things in outrageous ways, and I think that's exactly what he is doing."

"(Karl's brand) is family friendly, an average Aussie bloke, a bit irreverent and he's taking a little lurch to the right."

Monetised anger helping One Nation

Stefanovic is currently in London, and appeared in a post on X, walking alongside Barnaby Joyce, another guest on his podcast.

One Nation has seized on the publicity, according to alternate media researcher at La Trobe University, Finley Watson.

"They are essentially using Stefanovic's podcast as a platform to capitalise on gains in the polls and apparent increasing mainstream appeal," Mr Watson said.

Mr Allen agreed it was part of the party's political strategy.

"They're pulling and reusing (content) and this just seems to be fuelling the move of more and more of the public towards her way of thinking," he said.

The right-wing online sphere is a money-making juggernaut, and while Stefanovic has attracted millions of views, he's had modest success when compared to other star podcasters.

"Along with streaming revenue, podcasters are able to expand their business model to include merchandising and sponsorship agreements," Mr Watson said.

"A lot of these podcasters and YouTubers are monetising anger against social justice, against environmentalism, and of course, at this moment, most prominently, against immigration, to turn some of that sentiment and anger and vitriol directly into monetisable views."

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