Karl Stefanovic

Australian television presenter and journalist (born 1974)

  • Today
  • 10 News First
  • Nine News
Spouses
Cassandra Thorburn
​
​
(m. 1995⁠–⁠2017)​
Jasmine Yarbrough
​
(m. 2018)​
Children4RelativesPeter Stefanovic (brother)

Karl Stefanovic (Serbian Cyrillic: Карл Стефановић; born 12 August 1974), also spelt Karl Stefanović, is an Australian television presenter and journalist for the Nine Network.

Stefanovic is currently a co-host of the Nine Network's breakfast program Today and presents for 60 Minutes.

Career

Early life

Stefanovic studied journalism at university, but after earning his degree could not secure a cadetship.[2] At his father's suggestion, he auditioned for NIDA, but did not make the final cut despite making it through a few rounds of auditions.[2] Although he was encouraged to re-apply for the following year, he took up a job offer from WIN Television in Rockhampton instead.[2]

In 1994, he began working for WIN in Rockhampton and Cairns as a cadet reporter.[3]

In 1996, Stefanovic took up a position with TVNZ as a reporter for One Network News in New Zealand. In 1998, Stefanovic returned to Australia with a job reporting and presenting for Ten News in Brisbane, and also acted as a fill-in news presenter for Ron Wilson in Sydney.[citation needed]

Nine Network

In 2000, Stefanovic moved to the Nine Network as a reporter and back-up presenter for Nine News in Brisbane. He received a Queensland Media Award for Best News Coverage for his report on the Childers backpacker hostel fire in 2000.[citation needed] His reports on the 2001 Warragamba bushfires from Sussex Inlet in January 2002 led to his appointment to Nine's Sydney newsroom, and he was involved in the coverage of the 2003 Canberra bushfires.[citation needed]

In February 2005, Stefanovic replaced Today host Steve Liebmann. He has been a fill-in host on A Current Affair for Tracy Grimshaw. In 2006, he participated in the Nine Network reality television show Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice. He eventually made it to the grand final of the show, but was beaten by Jake Wall by a viewer poll. In 2008, Stefanovic took over as host of Nine Network's Carols by Candlelight with Lisa Wilkinson replacing longtime host Ray Martin. He continued to host Carols by Candlelight until 2012, when he was replaced by David Campbell.[citation needed]

In 2011, along with his hosting role at Today, Stefanovic was a contributing reporter on 60 Minutes. He also hosted a Sunday evening edition of A Current Affair (ACA Sunday).[4]

In December 2011, he was a crew member aboard racing supermaxi yacht Investec LOYAL when it won line honours in the 2011 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.[5] Stefanovic hosted the Nine Network's evening reports on the 2012 London Olympics.[citation needed] In December 2013, he was a crew member aboard supermaxi yacht Perpetual Loyal in the 2013 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, with his other celebrity crew members, Larry Emdur, Guillaume Brahimi, Tom Slingsby, Phil Waugh and Jude Bolton.[6]

In October 2015, Stefanovic hosted television the panel show The Verdict on the Nine Network. The weekly show mixed elements of successful programs The Project and Q&A but courted controversy with its line-up of panelists.[7]

In July 2017, Stefanvoic began hosting This Time Next Year on the Nine Network.[citation needed]

In December 2018, it was announced that Stefanovic would not be returning as a co-host of Today in 2019.[citation needed]

In November 2019, the Nine Network announced that Stefanovic would be returning to Today as co-host from January 2020 alongside Weekend Today co-host and 60 Minutes reporter Allison Langdon.[8]

In June 2020, Stefanovic celebrated 20 years with the Nine Network.[9]

2GB

In June 2019, it was announced that Stefanovic would become a regular contributor on 2GB.[10]

Personal life

Stefanovic was born in Darlinghurst, New South Wales, to a Serbian-German father and an Australian mother. He was raised in Capalaba, Queensland. [11] His younger brother, Peter Stefanovic, is a correspondent with 60 Minutes.[12]

He was educated at St Augustines College (Cairns), the Anglican Church Grammar School and the Queensland University of Technology, where he graduated with a degree in journalism in 1994.[13]

Stefanovic met journalist Cassandra Thorburn at a party in Rockhampton in 1995 and later married; they have three children together.[14] In September 2016, it was revealed that Stefanovic had separated from his wife after 21 years;[14] their divorce was finalised in October 2017.[15]

In February 2018, Stefanovic made public his engagement to Jasmine Yarbrough.[16] He married Yarbrough in December 2018 at a ceremony in Mexico. They have one child together.[17]

Controversy

In July 2016, Stefanovic attracted criticism from the LGBT community after using the word "tranny" and making a number of jokes deemed transphobic during a segment on Today. On 29 July 2016, a day after the segment, he made a public apology on the show, stating that "I was an ignorant tool" and stated that he was informed of how offensive the term was considered.[18] He was later nominated for an ACON LGBTI award for his honest apology, and has gone on to be an outspoken advocate of the queer community. In 2017, Stefanovic spoke out against the conservative government putting obstacles in the way of passing same-sex marriage legislation, condemning the government for turning the issue into a “political football”.[19][20] He also debated prominent Anglican minister Michael Jensen on the topic during a live interview, arguing for a ‘yes’ vote on the then-upcoming marriage equality plebiscite.

In January 2023, Stefanovic was involved in a public fight with former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke in Noosa, which also involved their partners. In the video, Stefanovic's sister-in-law Jade Yarbrough, accuses Michael Clarke of being unfaithful and cheating on her, prompting Clarke to lash out at Stefanovic.[21][22][23] It has been reported that Stefanovic and Clarke are no longer friends.[24]

Television shows and film appearances

Year Title Role Notes
2016 Independence Day: Resurgence Himself - Reporter Movie (scene cut)
2012 Beaconsfield Himself TV movie
Great Barrier Reef Himself - Presenter 3 episodes
2011 The Jesters Himself Go for Gold (#2.8)
2010, 2017, 2020 A Current Affair Himself - Host/Reporter
2009 Australia's Funniest Home Videos Himself 20 Year Special (#20.8)
2008 Hole in the Wall Himself - Brains Team Captain Brains vs. Brawn (#1.6)
2007 A Current Affair Himself - Fill-in Host Episode dated 27 August 2007
20 to 1 Himself 50 to 01: Great Movie One Liners (#4.10)
Temptation Himself - Contestant 2 episodes
2006 Torvill & Dean's Dancing on Ice Himself 8 episodes
Bert's Family Feud Himself - Team Captain 3 episodes
2005 The Price Is Right Himself Episode dated 24 October 2005
2005–2018, 2020– Today Host

Awards

At the 2011 Logie Awards, Stefanovic won two awards - the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality, and the Silver Logie for Most Popular Presenter.

Suit incident

On 15 November 2014, Stefanovic revealed in an interview with Fairfax Media that he had been wearing the same suit on-air every day for a year, "except for a couple of times because of circumstance", as what he said was an experiment in sexism. He said that, while his female colleagues receive regular criticism for whatever they wear, nobody noticed his outfit the whole time. He did, however, vary his ties and shirts more regularly than his suit.[25]

References

  1. ^ Karl Stefanovic cranks up the karaoke for Girls Just Wanna have Fun at 35th birthday - Sydney Confidential (The Daily Telegraph), 17 August 2009
  2. ^ a b c Lallo, Michael (12 December 2014). "Today broadcaster Karl Stefanovic talks about food, sexism, Lisa Wilkinson and Melrose Place". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  3. ^ "Karl Stefanovic". NineMSN. Archived from the original on 22 August 2011.
  4. ^ "Karl Stefanovic hosts ACA Sunday". TV Tonight. 19 March 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
  5. ^ "Investec LOYAL race winner as appeal dismissed". Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 29 December 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  6. ^ "Sydney to Hobart 2013". Perpetual. Archived from the original on 10 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  7. ^ "The Verdict is in: Karl Stefanovic controversial new show tanks in the ratings". Smh.com.au. 16 October 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  8. ^ "Karl Stefanovic returns to Today as Georgie Gardner reveals her plans for the future". 9now.nine.com.au. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  9. ^ "Karl Stefanovic reveals the story that 'made him grow up quickly'". 9now.nine.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  10. ^ Saulwick, Jacob (13 July 2019). "Karl Stefanovic is back, taking on radio duties at 2GB". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  11. ^ "Stefanovic 'throws tanty' after origin state revealed". Ninemsn. 17 July 2013. Archived from the original on 30 January 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  12. ^ Wide World of Sports website Archived 29 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 17 November 2014
  13. ^ Mason, James (2011). Churchie: The Centenary Register. Brisbane, Australia: The Anglican Church Grammar School. ISBN 978-0-646-55807-3.
  14. ^ a b "Karl Stefanovic's shock split from wife of 21 years, reports". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 September 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  15. ^ Croffey, Amy (8 October 2017). "How Cassandra Thorburn celebrated her divorce from Karl Stefanovic". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  16. ^ Croffey, Amy (6 February 2018). "Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough make engagement public". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  17. ^ "Karl Stefanovic and wife Jasmine Yarbrough to give birth to baby girl". Who. May 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  18. ^ Bond, Nick (29 July 2017). "Karl's mea culpa: 'I was an ignorant tool'". News.com.au. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  19. ^ "Karl Stefanovic nominated for LGBTI award". OUTInPerth | LGBTQIA+ News and Culture. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  20. ^ Moran, Robert (8 August 2017). "'Complete BS': Today's Karl Stefanovic unleashes on gay marriage plebiscite". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Call made on Michael Clarke's job amid 'cheating' furore". au.sports.yahoo.com. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  22. ^ "'Little more wholesome': Michael Clarke takes mickey out of himself with Noosa return post". Fox Sports Australia. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  23. ^ James Weir. "How Karl Stefanovic went from innocent bystander to co-headliner of the Michael Clarke PR nightmare". news.com.au. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  24. ^ "Michael Clarke begs Karl Stefanovic: 'Forgive me, mate!'". New Idea. 22 January 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  25. ^ "Karl Stefanovic's sexism experiment: Today presenter wears same suit for a year". Sydney Morning Herald. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Gold Logie Award
Most Popular Personality on Australian Television
2011
for Today 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Logie Award
Most Popular TV Presenter
2011
for Today 		Succeeded by

External links

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