Former Today host Karl Stefanovic said he feels “free” to pursue his own projects after his abrupt departure from mainstream Australian media.
Speaking to British broadcaster Piers Morgan in a tell-all interview released on Wednesday, Stefanovic reflected on the fallout from his exit from Nine and the reaction of his family.
“I can do whatever I want now, which is one of the side benefits of getting the ass,” Stefanovic said.
The interview came less than a week after his long-running tenure on Today ended and hours after his contract with ARN was also severed.
Stefanovic said he felt “a bit discombobulated” by the dismissal but intended to keep moving forward.
“It’s painful … [but] I’m not going to stop, we’ll move on,” he said.
“There’s a part of me that feels free to really have my own freedom.”
He said his connection with Australian audiences remained important to him and that recent events had strengthened his desire to continue working.
“I want to be there for them there now even more so,” he said.
“I think they feel unheard … there’s a lot of stuff going on, it’s really a divided community now [and] I just want to get busy.”
When Morgan asked whether he had become emotional since losing his role, Stefanovic paused before replying: “Just my wife.”
“She puts up with a lot. Her finding out this stuff and having to deal with me because I’m a lot and I’m in the public eye a lot, and I’m away a lot and I really do work hard,” he said.
“She knows what I’m trying to do with this podcast and I’m doing it all for the family but she’s on her own a lot.
“To hear her upset was the hardest thing.”
Stefanovic left Today after controversy surrounding an interview with British figure Tommy Robinson on his independent podcast.
He has since deleted the episode and previously defended his decision to feature a range of viewpoints.
“Here’s what I believe in: The public deserve to hear perspectives … so on my show I’ve spoken to people who have different perspectives, I know that winds some people up,” he said in an earlier statement.
“Freedom of speech, here and around the world, is what this show is about.”
Nine said at the time that it was no longer possible for Stefanovic to host Today while also fronting his independent podcast, and that he would leave the network immediately.
In the interview, Morgan criticised the decision, calling it “outrageous” and saying Stefanovic had been treated unfairly after more than two decades on Australian television.
Image: Karl Stefanovic
