Karl Stefanovic has officially parted ways with Nine, after his podcast with Tommy Robinson exploded with chaotic consequences this week.
Many Australians are now asking who this man, who contributed to the story of Stefanovic’s end to decades on Nine, even is?
Who is Tommy Robinson?
Robinson, 43, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was a member of the neo-Nazi-adjacent British National Party (BNP) in the early 2000s and has a lengthy criminal record.
He remains a far-right extremist. He’s also a father of three.
Robinson lost his job as an engineering apprentice, after assaulting a police officer who tried to intervene to protect Robinson’s girlfriend as they were fighting in public.
After the incident, Robinson moved into political activism.
Robinson helped found the English Defence League, an anti-Islam movement that’s organised street demonstrations across Britain. He has convictions for assault, mortgage fraud, using a false passport and contempt of court.
He was jailed in October 2024 after he ignored a court order not to repeat lies about a Syrian refugee, who sued him for defamation – and won.
Robinson attracted further attention in recent weeks following unrest in Northern Ireland, where he shared graphic footage online after a stabbing attack in Belfast allegedly carried out by a Sudanese-born suspect, and subsequently promoted demonstrations that later descended into violence, including attacks on migrants and the burning of homes.
READ MORE: Karl Stefanovic podcast with Tommy Robinson vanishes as Hanson blames Nine
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What did Tommy Robinson say on Karl Stefanovic’s pod?
Stefanovic gave Robinson almost an hour to espouse his ‘values’.
The former Today host had promoted the interview on his X account on Tuesday night.
“What happens when speaking your mind comes at a cost? Now live on the show, Tommy Robinson shares his story, chatting all about free speech, censorship, immigration and the direction he believes Britain should be heading in,” Stefanovic captioned a 39-second clip of the interview.
In the clip, Stefanovic places his arm around Robinson.
“Can I ask you a question?” Robinson asks him. “Keir Starmer is a..?”
“W***er,” says Stefanovic, as the pair laugh loudly together.
Tonight. 5PM. In a historical change, Keir Starmer is out.
We speak to Tommy Robinson. The guy you’ve all been asking for.
The ultimate disruptor. Many say, a voice for the people.
This is a wild chat you can’t miss. pic.twitter.com/Rluuk21kX4
— Karl Stefanovic (@karlstefanovic) June 22, 2026
“We all believe in free speech, we’re against mass migration, we’re against Islam, we’re a Christian nation and we’re against LGBTQ indoctrination of children,” Robinson said.
Robinson added wants to “reach the 50 per cent of non voters and register them to vote”.
“I want to go into the roughest areas of Britain, the working class communities … captivate them, re-energise them and make them believe they matter and that will cause a f***ing earthquake,” he said.
Stefanovic’s response was: “Well, why not. This is a great country and it’s just so lost.”
“I love Pauline,” Robinson also said at one stage, referring to conservative One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.
“She spoke up for me. She’s literally one of the only people who spoke up for me from that side of the world. Looking at her rise, do you know how happy I am for her.
“She’s been through what I went through. She’s been condemned, attacked, battered, called every name under the sun. It’s not easy. For a woman, the amount of horrible, disgusting things said about her.”
Making his support clear, Stefanovic did not challenge any of Robinson’s comments. He also noted during the interview that authorities “want to eliminate your voice” and told Robinson admiringly, “I can’t believe you’re alive.”
Karl Stefanovic exits his contract with Nine
Less than 24 hours later, the podcast on YouTube disappeared. After 72 hours of speculation, outrage, social media commentary, crisis meetings at Nine, and notable silence from Stefanovic, Australia got a result this morning.
The reporter posted a video to YouTube in which he declared himself “free, truly independent” and framed his departure as a stand for freedom of speech.
In the video, Stefanovic offered an emotional farewell to his free-to-air audience and colleagues before defending the editorial direction of his podcast.
“I didn’t get the chance to thank my free-to-air audience for 21 great years, so thank you for riding the ups and downs. You have my thanks, and you have all of my love,” he said.
He also acknowledged the difficulty of the past week. “It wasn’t easy these last couple of days, but we were all on.”
Tommy Robinson has yet to make a statement about the enormous fallout in Australia.
Top image: Karl Stefanovic speaks to Tommy Robinson. Image: @TheKarlStefanovicShow