Television presenter Karl Stefanovic’s controversial podcast interview with British far-right anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson has been removed from YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Instagram less than 12 hours after it debuted.
The Nine Network star, who has increasingly cast himself as a culture warrior, had told Robinson he admired his “tenacity” and “courage” in “trying to stand up for what you believe is right” in an interview lasting almost an hour on Stefanovic’s self-titled YouTube program in which the pair discussed immigration, Islam and Australian politics, including One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.
On Wednesday morning, the episode was unavailable on YouTube, while Stefanovic’s interview with another UK right-wing figure, former Special Forces soldier Ant Middleton, remains live. It is not yet known why the Robinson podcast was removed or who decided to take it down but sources familiar with the matter said the podcast was not removed by the tech platforms. Posts with short clips of the Robinson interview remain live on Stefanovic’s X account.
Stefanovic and Nine were contacted for comment. Nine is the publisher of this masthead.
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Kishor Napier-Raman is a senior business writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Previously he worked as a CBD columnist and reporter in the federal parliamentary press gallery.Connect via X or email.
Rob Harris is the national correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age based in Canberra. He is a former Europe correspondent.Connect via email.
