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Kyle Sandilands expressed his unconventional viewpoint regarding Alex Cullen’s suspension following his acceptance of a $50,000 present from The Block tycoon, Adrian Portelli.

As a lifestyle connoisseur, I found myself in an extraordinary situation when the gracious Portelli bestowed upon me a substantial gift. This act of kindness came about after I daringly adopted my own moniker, “McLaren Man,” during a live broadcast for the very first time.

Portelli is no longer fond of his old nickname “Mr Lambo” and presented a cash prize for the first media figure who adopts his fresh alias. On the Today Show on Friday, Cullen was the one to comply with this new name change.

Later, it became clear that Channel Nine was investigating the payment issue, and Cullen decided to resign following the regrettable on-screen incident.

Or:
It turned out that Channel Nine was scrutinizing the payment matter, and Cullen chose to leave after the unfortunate live broadcast act.

On Monday morning’s KIIS FM radio broadcast, the outspoken radio host Kyle, aged 53, shared an unexpected perspective about the ongoing issue during the show.

In his first broadcast following his summer vacation, Kyle unconventionally expressed confusion as to why people were concerned about the issue of payment.

Alex is an excellent presenter; he manages to earn $50,000 swiftly. Does it matter to anyone?

‘I don’t like the whole vibe of it,’ Kyle added of the backlash to Cullen’s stunt.

Violating journalistic independence by accepting money, presents, or advantages, as well as misusing a journalist’s role for personal profit, are both contraventions of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance Journalist Code of Ethics. In simpler terms, this means that journalists should not accept bribes or use their position for personal gain, as doing so undermines their integrity and trustworthiness.

Cullen was notably absent from the Today Show on Monday morning after being stood down by Nine.

Originally reported from Melbourne at the Australian Open, he was swapped out with Clint Stanaway, yet the broadcast didn’t mention any related controversies throughout the program.

Karl Stefanovic asked Stanaway: ‘Anything going on down there mate?’ 

He said, “He’s being quite still, apparently searching for a tale,” as he commented on the action from the prestigious tennis tournament.

Initially, Portelli was given the unsolicited title ‘Mr Lambo’ when he arrived at the 2022 auction for the well-known home renovation series The Block, driving a bright yellow Lamborghini.

To shed off the old label, he promised a $50,000 cash prize to the first journalist who adopted his new alias. He made this announcement on the Today Show, with Cullen being the one to say it.

In the imprudent live broadcast antic, Stefanovic swiftly recited the phrase and jestingly suggested that the two hosts would share the winnings if Portelli made good on his debt.

After that, I decided to publicly disclose on social media platforms what seemed to be a transaction of $50,000 I made to Cullen’s account.

‘We have a winner! Well played sir,’ he wrote alongside the screenshot. 

Channel Nine announced that Cullen had consented to resign on Saturday, as they investigated the matter concerning the payment.

‘Nine is taking this matter extremely seriously,’ a spokesperson told the Sunday Herald Sun.

‘Appropriate action has been promptly taken, including arranging for the funds to be returned.

‘While we review the circumstances in which this occurred, Alex has agreed to stand down.’

Nine sources suggested that if Cullen had informed the event organizer that, as a media personality, he couldn’t be paid for endorsing something on-air, it could have been advantageous for both the network and Portelli.

One network source informed Daily Mail Australia that, had Alex decided to participate in the stunt, he should have declined any money offered and suggested Portelli donate it directly to a charity instead, rather than accepting it.

Since then, Portelli has faced criticism for encouraging his followers to flood female journalist Fiona Byrne with online messages, following her disclosure that Nine was probing Cullen in relation to the cash-for-comment controversy.

A multitude of individuals targeted her on social media with offensive and sexist comments following Portelli’s call for his 461,000 Instagram followers to harass Byrne, and even promising money for the most effective attack.

‘Come on Fiona. You can do better than that,’ he posted on Instagram. 

If you don’t mind, please address me by my proper name. I might create a nickname for you instead, and share it across my social media platforms.

Later, Portelli requested that his supporters come up with fitting nicknames for Byrne and, furthermore, urged fans to engage in online teasing or harassment towards her.

In a different phrase, he stated, ‘If journalists decide to be aggressive, let’s respond in kind.’ He then identified her personal account and proposed the award money as an option.

‘$5,000 best comment on [Ms Byrne’s] profile.’

The successful entrepreneur’s rallying cry led to an overwhelming flood of inappropriate and unfounded comments about a renowned journalist’s looks and competence on her social media platform.

Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to repeat any of the comments. 

Later on, it seemed Portelli was making another indirect warning: If any reporter were to show disregard towards him, or use his informal moniker, ‘Lambo Guy’, he might mobilize his follower base against them.

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2025-01-20 03:03

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