A prominent presenter on the Nine Today program will leave the network after accepting a $50,000 cash prize in return for comments he made on air.
Alex Cullen was stood down on Saturday after it emerged he had followed through on an offer from Melbourne-based billionaire Adrian Portelli to refer to him as โMcLaren Guyโ rather than the โLambo Guyโ tag he has developed in media.
Today presenter Karl Stefanovic informed viewers of Cullenโs departure on Friday morning.
โAs most of you are well aware, our colleague Alex Cullen has not been on air with us this past week. There has been widespread reporting on the circumstances surrounding this; what I can say is that last night, Alex and Nine agreed that he would finish with the network,โ Stefanovic said.
Portelli posted receipts of his bank transfer to Cullen with the caption: โWe have a winner! Well played sir,โ after the Nine presenter referred to him by his requested nickname during a live cross from the Australian Open.
On Saturday, a Nine spokesperson said Cullen was arranging for the return of the cash. Earlier in the week, the spokesperson confirmed the funds had been returned to Portelli, who later donated the money to charity on Cullenโs behalf.
Alex Cullen at an internal Nine event in 2023.Credit: Yianni Photography
Portelli gained his nickname after arriving at a house auction on the set of Nineโs property program The Block in a yellow Lamborghini, subsequently buying all five properties across the 2022, 2023, and 2024 editions of the show.
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