Alex Cullen announces shock career move after being brutally fired from Channel Nine: ‘We want to get this right’

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Alex Cullen will be coming back to television hosting, following an eight-month absence due to his dismissal from Channel Nine.

In January, I found myself unexpectedly parting ways with my network, all because I received a generous $50,000 token from the illustrious Adrian Portelli of The Block – affectionately known as “McLaren Man” – for using that nickname on-air during our chat. It’s been a tough ride, but hey, who wouldn’t want to be associated with such a legendary figure?

On Wednesday, the 44-year-old shared on The Christian O’Connell Show on Gold 104.3 that he will soon be hosting an afternoon news program on Channel Seven.

Yesterday was quite an exhilarating day for me, as I managed to seal a deal with Seven by putting my signature on a contract, Alex mentioned.

In the afternoons, I will be your host on Channel Seven. Therefore, we’ll guide you throughout the day. We’ve got a show planned for 3 PM.

He also shared details about the show’s target audience and launch date.

We plan to engage with grandmothers, retirees, and moms who stay at home. We have a project lined up later in the month that we’re eager to execute correctly. The world of commercial TV progresses slowly, so we want to make sure we get this just right.

In a light-hearted comment, host Christian O’Connell playfully suggested that Alex’s show might encounter tough opposition, coming from the Channel Nine quiz show Tipping Point, which is fronted by Todd Woodbridge.

Although Alex claimed he was certain his new show would prosper at 3 pm, it seems like they won’t maintain success for too much longer.

Returning to familiar grounds, this veteran journalist previously worked as a presenter on the current affairs program “Sunday Night” on Channel Seven from 2010 to 2019.

Alex will also maintain his role as a sports presenter on the highly popular morning radio show in Melbourne, in addition to his current position.

At the start of this year, he was let go by the Nine Network following his acceptance of a $50,000 payment from The Block’s billionaire owner, Adrian Portelli.

Today host Karl Stefanovic announced that Alex had left the network live on-air.

In case you’ve noticed, I’ve been filling in for my esteemed colleague, Alex Cullen, who hasn’t been appearing on our show for the last week, I wanted to take a moment to address that situation directly.

There’s been a lot of talk about the details leading up to this event. To clarify, I can share that last night, Alex and the network mutually decided that Alex would part ways with them.

For the past five years, Alex has been an integral member of our Today family. His ever-present grin and infectious laughter have become staples in our workplace. Speaking on behalf of everyone here, it’s safe to say we’ll greatly miss his presence.

According to a representative from Channel Nine, they have reached an agreement with Alex Cullen, a host on Today and journalist, that he will part ways with the network after a review concerning a recent incident.

The controversy began when Portelli, feeling weary of his frequently used nickname ‘Mr Lambo’, decided to offer a cash incentive to whoever first referred to him by his new alias on-air. Subsequently, Alex complied during their segment on the Today show.

Later, the business owner from Block seemed to have initiated a transaction resembling a $50,000 bank transfer towards the Instagram host.

Violating journalistic integrity by accepting money, presents, or advantages that could compromise your impartiality, and misusing your journalistic role for personal profit, are all considered unethical in journalism, as outlined by the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) union’s code of ethics.

Due to a risky move that turned out poorly, Alex was temporarily dismissed from Nine and was absent from the show during their investigation into a questionable payment.

As a die-hard fan, I can’t help but feel a pang every time I think about Nine’s split with Alex. It’s been nagging at me that some believed this separation was inevitable, despite Portelli’s assertion that the money Alex received was meant for charity all along. I just can’t help but wonder if things might have turned out differently had that been the case.

For the first time, Portelli earned the nickname “Mr Lambo” during a 2022 event for the renowned home renovation series The Block, when he arrived in a striking yellow Lamborghini.

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2025-09-10 04:05