Ben Fordham says good mate Karl Stefanovic ‘always had conservative views’ and was unable
Ben Fordham is not surprised by Karl Stefanovic‘s swing into right-wing politics, revealing on Thursday that his good mate has always been quietly conservative.
The 2GB radio host told news.com.au that the Channel Nine star was unable to express his true beliefs while appearing on the Today Show.
‘This is the real Karl and anyone who thinks there’s been a dramatic transformation in Karl Stefanovic hasn’t known him as long as I have,’ he said.
‘He has always had conservative political views, and maybe he just hasn’t had the opportunity to display them on the Today Show.’
The 49-year-old stopped short of calling Karl ‘right-wing’ but stressed that his recent focus on conservative topics on his new podcast, The Karl Stefanovic Show, is a natural evolution for the television personality.
‘I’m not at all surprised by the angle he has taken with the podcast because he has always had conservative views,’ Fordham said.
Ben Fordham is not surprised by Karl Stefanovic’s swing into right-wing politics, revealing on Thursday that his good mate has always been quietly conservative. Fordham (left) is pictured with Lisa Wilkinson and Karl Stefanovic (right)
It comes amid reports Stefanovic is ‘set to resign’ in the coming days.
His early exit follows intense backlash over his independently produced podcast interview with British right-wing activist Tommy Robinson.
The pair discussed immigration, Islam and Australian politics, before the episode was swiftly removed online.
Nine previously stressed the podcast was produced independently and was not affiliated with the network, but confirmed it was taking the controversy seriously.
On Wednesday evening, The Sydney Morning Herald confirmed Stefanovic’s departure from Nine, indicating the decision was made in part to ‘defuse a major advertiser boycott’.
Stefanovic was told the network ‘wanted to part ways‘. He is expected to depart immediately.
The TV star, who has been a Nine stalwart for some 25 years, has six months and more than $1 million left to be paid on his 12-month contract.
Meanwhile, both Elon Musk and James Packer have weighed in on Stefanovic’s exit from Channel Nine, following backlash over his interview with Tommy Robinson.
The 2GB radio host told news.com.au that the Channel Nine star was unable to express his true beliefs while appearing on the Today Show
‘This is the real Karl and anyone who thinks there’s been a dramatic transformation in Karl Stefanovic hasn’t known him as long as I have,’ he said. Pictured with Sylvia Jeffreys (left)
His early exit follows intense backlash over his independently produced podcast interview with British right-wing activist Tommy Robinson (pictured)
The billionaires each made comments on the controversy on Thursday, with Packer critical of the network.
‘I think it’s pretty hypocritical not to allow Karl editorial independence, especially on something I didn’t think was that bad,’ Packer told The Sydney Morning Herald.
Tech giant Musk, meanwhile, delivered a one-word reply via his X platform, in reply to a post made by commentator Steven Mark Ryan.
Ryan wrote a lengthy diatribe, which included ‘Bro took the red pill and I am here for it’ and credited Stefanovic with ‘unplugging from The Matrix during the SCAMDEMIC’.
Musk responded to the post with a comment of surprise, writing simply, ‘Wow’.