Sacked Today Host Alex Cullen Set to Shock Network Seven With New Role!

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Alex Cullen, who was let go from Channel Nine, is planning a surprising change in his professional life, just three months after he was dismissed from his role on the Today show.

In January, Cullen lost his job at Channel Nine due to accepting a $50,000 present from The Block tycoon Adrian Portelli, who was nicknamed ‘McLaren Man’ by Cullen during a live broadcast.

44-year-old Cullen is poised to take over as the host of an upcoming afternoon news show on Channel Seven, as reported by news.com.au.

7Network intends to broadcast the program prior to the game show hosted by Larry Emdur, “The Chase,” as an attempt to boost viewership numbers.

Representatives of Cullen are negotiating to bring him back to Seven, where he previously hosted their current affairs show Sunday Night from 2010 to 2019 as a seasoned sports journalist.

There have been whispers about him planning this transition since March, following Seven West Media’s The Nightly celebrating a year as the nation’s preferred PDF newspaper with a glamorous event at the Sydney Opera House.

Cullen attended the star-studded event, hinting at a potential move to his former employer.

Reports suggest that Cullen was let go by the Nine Network following his acceptance of a $50,000 payment from Portelli.

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According to reports, Cullen’s employment at the Nine Network ended after he received $50,000 from Portelli.

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It appears that Cullen lost his job at the Nine Network as a result of accepting a $50,000 payment from Portelli, according to reports.

The news host received a substantial amount of money after being the initial media figure to utilize Portelli’s self-styled moniker ‘McLaren Man’ on-air, which ignited a heated controversy.

Days later, Today host Karl Stefanovic announced that Cullen had left the network.

It’s important to note that for the last week, our teammate Alex Cullen hasn’t been appearing on the show with us, as Stefanovic informed the audience back then.

It’s been widely discussed about the events leading up to it, but allow me to share some information: Last night, Alex and Nine came to an agreement that Alex would part ways with the media network.

For the past five years, Alex has been an integral member of our ‘Today’ family, consistently radiating positivity with his ever-present smiles and hearty laughter. It goes without saying that as we bid him farewell, we will deeply miss him.

‘Alex is truly a fantastic guy, honest and reliable, and he has been a wonderful friend to us all throughout these years. We extend our warmest wishes to Alex, his wife Bonnie, and their lovely children for the future ahead.’

Representing Nine, a spokesperson informed Daily Mail Australia: ‘Alex Cullen, Today’s presenter and journalist, will be parting ways with our network after a review of a recent occurrence, to which he has agreed.’

The controversy began when Portelli grew weary of his frequent nickname ‘Mr Lambo’ and proposed a financial incentive for the individual who would first utilize his new alias on live broadcast, which Cullen did on the Today program.

Subsequently, the Block entrepreneur seemingly transferred $50,000 to the Instagram presenter via a bank transaction.

Violating journalistic integrity by accepting money, presents, or advantages to compromise objectivity, and misusing a journalist’s role for personal profit, are both unethical practices according to the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) union’s code of ethics for journalists.

Due to an imprudent action, Cullen was temporarily barred from appearing on Nine’s show as they looked into a financial matter involving him.

Regardless of Portelli’s assertion that Cullen had meant for the money to go to charity, Nine ultimately chose to split from Cullen.

As a devoted follower, I’d like to rephrase this: Network sources informed Daily Mail Australia that if I, as a journalist, had communicated to the event organizer that I couldn’t be paid for my on-air comments due to professional obligations, both the network and Portelli might have gained from this stunt.

Initially, Portelli got the unsolicited title ‘Mr Lambo’ when he attended a 2022 event for the well-known home renovation series The Block in a bright yellow Lamborghini.

Five years back, Cullen became a part of Today during its reboot. Initially, he was just handling sports segments. However, after Tracy Vo left the program and went back to 9News Perth, Cullen stepped up to present the news as well.

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2025-05-02 04:54