Karl Stefanovic takes ownership of podcast after legal dispute

Karl Stefanovic has taken ownership of his podcast after former business partner Keshnee Kemp withdrew Supreme Court proceedings alleging oppressive conduct against him.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Kemp, also known as Keshnee Ibrahim, withdrew the proceedings this week, ending the dispute over control of The Karl Stefanovic Show.

The move followed an independent valuation of the podcast business, 123 Podcast. Stefanovic and Kemp each held a 45 per cent stake, while businessman Anthony Bell owned the remaining 10 per cent.

According to the publication, the independent valuer, whom Kemp had appointed, reportedly found that the business could not operate without Stefanovic.

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Buyout followed breakdown between partners

As Mediaweek previously reported, the dispute reached the NSW Supreme Court in September, when the court heard the pair’s business relationship had irretrievably broken down.

Kemp had sought to postpone a company meeting scheduled for 18 September amid concerns she could be removed as a director.

Justice David Hammerschlag outlined two options: winding up the company or arranging a buyout of Kemp’s stake. Stefanovic’s legal team accepted a buyout as the appropriate path, and the parties agreed to appoint an independent valuer.

Stefanovic disputed Kemp’s allegation that the company had been run in a manner oppressive to her interests. 

Podcast pause and Nine departure

The ownership dispute followed a pause in the show’s output. In September, Mediaweek reported that no new episodes or fresh posts on the podcast’s social channels had appeared since 24 August.

Clothing brand Ringers Western had also ended its sponsorship, with The Sydney Morning Herald reporting that it had no plans to renew the agreement.

The podcast had earlier been central to Stefanovic’s departure from Nine. In June, the network brought forward his planned end-of-year exit following controversy over his podcast interview with British activist Tommy Robinson. YouTube and other platforms removed the episode within 24 hours.

Nine said Stefanovic could no longer continue hosting Today while running his independent podcast. He also stepped away from ARN’s The Long Weekend, which he co-hosted with Eddie McGuire, while the parties reviewed the situation.