January 21, 2026 7:37 pm EST

Karl Stefanovic has launched a new career path outside Channel Nine.

The Today show presenter, 51, will be hosting his own YouTube podcast.

Karl, who has appeared on the breakfast show for 20 years, announced the news on Instagram on Thursday, sharing a clip of himself hard at work in a recording studio.

‘So, I have some pretty exciting news. I have this curious beast that lives inside my head, and I’m about to unleash that beast,’ he said.

He reassured fans that as the project is entirely his own, he’d have full freedom over how the show is run.

‘I am free and independent to talk to the people I am curious about. People who have done amazing things, people who have stories to tell,’ he added.

Karl Stefanovic has launched a new career path outside Channel Nine 

‘It’s interesting, unscripted, unfiltered and uncensored. I am going to unleash the beast. Are you ready to walk on the wild side? The Karl Stefanovic Show is coming soon, it’s going to be fun.’

He revealed some of the things he hoped to achieve with this podcast and the very surprising person he will have as the show’s first guest.

‘A few decades on the telly has given me a very good bulls**t metre – and an eye for a bloody great story,’ he explained.

‘This show will be the people I know you want to hear from too – across politics, sport, business and culture. I’ll go there. Why not? No spin. Lots of fun.

‘We start this Sunday with a live show at 2pm with Pauline Hanson – live on YouTube.’

Karl began his role on the Today show in 2005 but was later sacked following a ratings slump that coincided with intense media scrutiny of his personal life.

The program’s ratings decline began around September 2016, when news broke that Karl had separated from Cassandra Thorburn, his wife and the mother of his three children.

A few months later, he started dating Jasmine, who is ten years his junior.

The Today show presenter, 51, shared a clip to social media on Thursday, revealing he would be hosting his own YouTube podcast

He was then embroiled in the ‘Ubergate’ scandal in 2018, when he and his brother Peter were overheard discussing private matters in the back of an Uber, just months before he was dropped from the Today show.

An Uber driver transporting Peter revealed details of a conversation the TV journalist had while on speakerphone with Karl.

The Uber driver later sold his story to New Idea, claiming Karl had criticised then co-host Georgie Gardner during the speakerphone call.

Karl was dramatically dumped from the program only days after his lavish wedding in Mexico, though he continued hosting This Time Next Year until its axing in October and later worked with 60 Minutes.

He made his return to the Today show in early 2020, joining Allison Langdon at the desk.

THE RISE AND FALL OF KARL STEFANOVIC

1994: After obtaining a journalism degree, Karl begins working for WIN in Rockhampton and Cairns as a cadet reporter 

2000: Karl Stefanovic joins Channel Nine as a reporter in Brisbane

2005: He replaces Steve Liebmann as the host of the Today show

2011: His career at Channel Nine peaks when he wins the coveted Gold Logie 

2008 – 2012: Karl co-hosts Carols By Candlelight with Lisa Wilkinson

2015: In October, his ‘serious’ panel show The Verdict flops in the ratings 

Late 2015: Karl signs multi-million dollar deal with Nine after offer from Seven

2016: Karl apologises for using a transgender slur. Later, his popularity falls when he splits with wife Cassandra Thorburn

Late 2016: Starts dating Jasmine Yarbrough, months after leaving his marriage

February 2017: He is pictured canoodling with Jasmine on a boat, accelerating his dip in popularity

Late 2017: Karl’s brand takes another hit when Lisa Wilkinson quits Today in a gender pay gap scandal 

March 2018: Karl and Peter get caught complaining about Channel Nine in Ubergate scandal 

September 2018: Nine CEO Hugh Mark’s publicly criticises Karl’s performance

December 8, 2018: Karl marries Jasmine Yarbrough in Mexico

December 19, 2018: He is sacked from the Today show, but remains with Nine 

2019: Karl hosts This Time Next Year on Nine. The show is axed in October

Late 2019: Channel Nine confirms Karl’s return to the Today Show 

 

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