Most Australians know Karl Stefanovic as the affable long-time co-host of Channel Nine’s Today show. His TV work has earned him multiple Logies, and on Monday it was announced he was in the running for the most popular presenter gong again this year.

Then, just days later, reports emerged that Nine was reportedly cutting ties with the 51-year-old after more than two decades – with the news confirmed on Friday morning.

It came after his controversial and later deleted podcast interview with British far-right, anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson.

Stefanovic’s cosy chat with Robinson ­– whose “tenacity” and “courage” he said he admired ­– appears to have been the final straw in what some reports suggest was an increasingly strained relationship with his employer since The Karl Stefanovic Show podcast was launched in January.

Nine has no involvement in the podcast, which it describes as “a completely independent production”. However, it is said to have held a series of crisis meetings after the airing of the Robinson episode provoked threats that advertisers would boycott Today.

It wasn’t just the choice of interviewee that provoked ire, but also the fact that Stefanovic shared a clip showing him walking along with his arm slung around Robinson ­– who has multiple criminal convictions under his real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – and praised him for “trying to stand up for what you believe is right”.

The interview probably shouldn’t have come as a surprise.

The Karl Stefanovic Show has given a platform to numerous right-wing and divisive voices since it launched on the eve of Australia Day with its inaugural guest: One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.

At the time, its host gave an interview with news.com.au declaring his love of Australia and launching a “defence” of Australia Day. He claimed the country was in danger of losing its identity and bemoaned the fact that “everyone is so woke now”.

The podcast has clearly struck a chord with people who share similar sentiments, as well as those with more extreme opinions.

Its posts on social media have attracted millions of views, as do episodes shared on The Karl Stefanovic Show YouTube channel. Many are promoted with titles and quotes such as “You’re not allowed to be proud”, “I was fined $20,000 for calling a man a man”, “We need to protect Australians before refugees”, and “Climate change is bulls**t”.

Nine, which reportedly pays Stefanovic $2.8 million a year for hosting Today, is said to have given him approval to launch the podcast as part of its contract negotiations at the end of last year.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Thursday that some staff at the network were unhappy with the freedom he was given and privately referred to him as “Karl Bogan” (a reference to US podcaster Joe Rogan).

PM Anthony Albanese, celebrity chef Curtis Stone and Brisbane Broncos coach Michael Maguire are among those who have appeared as guests, but it is Stefanovic’s interviews with far-right and polarising interviewees that get the most traction ­– and there are plenty of them.

Hanson and her One Nation deputy Barnaby Joyce have appeared more than once, as has United Australia Party founder and mining billionaire Clive Palmer, while other guests include anti-immigration influencers and podcasters.

In one of his most recent episodes, Stefanovic speaks with former Neighbours actor and pop star Holly Valance, who has become a cheerleader for the far right in the UK and was photographed last year with her arm around Tommy Robinson at an anti-immigration rally in London.

In a clip posted on the show’s social media, Valance claims London is “very welcoming to people, to a fault”, and that Australia is heading in the same direction.

An episode released on Monday titled “Britain is losing its identity” features Ant Middleton, a former British soldier and instructor on the reality-TV show SAS. Middleton, who was one of the speakers at Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom march in London last month, bemoans “the woke agenda, the woke mind virus”.

 

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One of Stefanovic’s most publicised podcast episodes featured chef turned conspiracy theorist Pete Evans, the former My Kitchen Rules judge who has gained notoriety for his controversial health advice, was kicked off Facebook and Instagram for spreading misinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic, and fined for promoting a device he claimed could cure coronavirus.

During the podcast, dubbed “one of the most controversial conversations we’ve ever had”, Stefanovic told Evans mainstream media had “nearly killed you”.

“I don’t know if I ever said anything about you being a whack job… if I did, I’m terribly sorry,” he said.

“Mainstream media would never do this interview,” Stefanovic added later, laughing. “They’re too soft!”

The podcast may have alienated some of the mainstream fans who have followed his television career, but the comments sections on The Karl Stefanovic Show’s social media pages show he has won over many more followers.

“Brother for a long time I couldn’t stand you now since you have supported Tommy etc and made a whole lot of sense I give you 100% of my support,” wrote one YouTube user.

Pauline Hanson is certainly a fan. The One Nation leader posted the Tommy Robinson episode on her YouTube channel on Wednesday, saying Nine would be “making a big mistake” by sacking her good friend Karl, and offering him a job as one of her advisers.

After reports emerged on Thursday that the TV host would be leaving the network, right-wing activist group Revive Australia  launched a petition calling on people to “Stand with Karl”.

At the same time, Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke joined the growing list of critics weighing in on Stefanovic’s interview with Robinson.

Burke said the controversial British activist wouldn’t get a visa under him, adding: “The last thing we need in Australia is for the temperature to be raised by people who want to spread hatred being given a louder voice.”

After the announcement on Friday that he had been axed by the Nine Network, Stefanovic posted his own message on his YouTube channel, saying: “So, I’m free, truly independent.”

He said he believed the public deserved to hear different perspectives: “Sometimes I agree with everything a guest says, sometimes I don’t. But importantly, you get to make up your mind.”

In an interview published last weekend – before the controversy erupted – Stefanovic said he had been wanting to launch the podcast for several years.

“I want to have longer conversations, and I want to explore things in a different way…,” he told news.com.au. “I want to do longer-format things and explore weirder things in my head.”

Stefanovic described the podcast as “empowering”.

“Everyone talks about the right-wing aspect – I don’t care. I’ll have people on who I like, who give a great opinion.”

He also quipped: “I’m not right wing … I’m just right!”