Alex Cullen has departed ARN’s national breakfast program, The Christian O’Connell Show, stepping down from his role as sports reporter.
His final appearance on the show aired today.
Cullen said he had made the decision after a year of balancing the breakfast radio role alongside television commitments and raising three young children.
“Working with Christian and the team has been a joy and a privilege, but the grind of holding down two jobs at both ends of the day was proving too much, and something had to give. So, I’ve decided it’s time to put the early-morning alarm clock away for a while and focus my efforts on my TV roles and my very energetic young family.
“Thank you to Christian and the team for the laughs, and thank you to our wonderful audience who tune in every day. It’s been an honour.”
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O’Connell said, “Alex has been a joy to work with and get to know. I totally understand why he’s leaving, as it’s been a crazy schedule having two jobs and a young family.”
ARN Chief Content Officer Kerri Elstub called Alex a “true professional whose love of sport and authenticity shone on air”.
She added, “While we know there are no sleep-ins with young kids, we know you’ll enjoy a different kind of alarm clock.”
Cullen joined The Christian O’Connell Show breakfast team in 2025.
The neverending grind
Back in September last year, Cullen revealed he’d scored a job at Seven to front an afternoon news program, telling O’Connell and listeners he would be “taking viewers through the afternoon from three o’clock”.
Cullen also outlined the program’s target audience, saying with a laugh: “We’re going to get all the nannas, the pensioners, the stay-at-home mums! We’re going to do something a little bit later in the month.”
The father-of-three hinted the show had been in the works for some time, saying: “Commercial TV moves at a glacial pace and we want to get this right.”
Cullen’s roles at both ARN and Seven came after he stood down from his on-air role on the Today show following controversy over his acceptance of a $50,000 gift from billionaire Adrian Portelli.
At the time, Today host Karl Stefanovic confirmed Cullen’s departure on-air, describing him as a “terrific fella” and praising his five years with the team. “We’re going to miss him terribly,” Stefanovic said, wishing Cullen and his family all the best.
The drama began after Portelli, eager to ditch his “Lambo Guy” label, offered the cash to the first TV journalist to call him “McLaren Man.” Cullen took the bait during a lighthearted exchange on Today with Stefanovic, only to face disciplinary action from Nine soon after.
The network immediately sidelined the host, releasing a statement to the media saying they were arranging for the money to be returned to Portelli and adding that they were taking the matter “very seriously”.