Former Today Show host Alex Cullen has broken his silence after he officially parted ways with Channel Nine earlier this week following a controversial stint with billionaire bidder Adrian Portelli.
Over the past week, Cullen has been embroiled in controversy after he allegedly participated in a bet set up by Portelli. Amidst investigations into the incident, it was confirmed that Cullen had parted ways with the show and Channel Nine.
On Sunday, Cullen took to Instagram, penning a thank you note to his Today Show colleagues and the viewers for their support.
“This has been a very difficult time and I just want to say thank you to all the wonderful people who reached out,” Cullen wrote alongside a photo of him and his son.
“It means the world to me and my young family. I will miss my colleagues at Today and wish them the best. Thank you again and I look forward to whatever comes next.”
Why was Alex Cullen stood down from the Today Show?
You see, Portelli has been dubbed “Lambo Guy” following his 2022 appearance on The Block, where he rocked up in a yellow Lamborghini.
Tired of the nickname, Portelli offered a whopping AUD$50,000 prize to the first television journo to call him “McLaren Guy” on air.
Cullen allegedly jumped at the opportunity during a broadcast on Channel Nine’s Today, which was then followed by a post by Portelli, where he reportedly transferred the money to the journalist.
“We have a winner!” the billionaire wrote on Instagram next to a screenshot of the alleged bank transfer of the prize money to Cullen.
Per the Herald Sun, the alleged on-air incident was reposted by Cullen on Instagram.
Per the Media and Entertainment Arts Alliance (MEAA) Journalist Code of Ethics, journalists should “not allow personal interest, or any belief, commitment, payment, gift or benefit to undermine [their] accuracy, fairness or independence”, hence the issues surrounding the exchange between Portelli and Cullen.
Following the stint, Nine — the owner of this masthead — immediately suspended Cullen and launched an internal investigation into the stint.
“Nine is taking this matter extremely seriously. Appropriate action has been promptly taken, including arranging for the funds to be returned,” a Nine spokesperson told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“While we review the circumstances in which this occurred, Alex has agreed to stand down.”
On January 24, Cullen’s co-host Karl Stefanovic confirmed that he would be parting ways from the show and the broadcaster.
“As most of you are well aware, our colleague Alex Cullen has not been on air with us this past week,” Stefanovic said.
“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”.
Amidst the scandal, Portelli claimed that Cullen intended for the money to be donated to charity. In another post to social media, Portelli revealed he made one $25K donation to the Salvation Army and another $25K to the RSPCA.
“I’ve kept pretty quiet about what unfolded with Alex, but even before he’d heard from Ch9, we had a conversation where he expressed his desire to donate the money,” Portelli penned.
Cullen’s Sunday Instagram post has been met with a lot of supportive comments, with fellow Today Show journalists Sarah Abo and Jayne Azzopardi sharing their well wishes for the journalist and his family.
The post Former Today Show Host Alex Cullen Breaks Silence After $50K Adrian Portelli Scandal appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
