Aussie breakfast TV star Karl Stefanovic has announced the launch of his bold new podcast he claims will “unleash” his inner “beast”.
The 51-year-old Today host revealed the new project, titled The Karl Stefanovic Show, on social media on Thursday, describing it as an “exciting” new chapter in his long-running career.
“So I have some pretty exciting news,” Stefanovic said in the video, pointing to a microphone bearing his new podcast’s name.
“I have this curious beast that lives inside of my head, and I’m about to unleash that beast.”
The father-of-four said he is now “free and independent” to speak with the people he is most “curious about”.
“People who have done amazing things, people who have stories to tell- that are just interesting,” he said.
According to Stefanovic, the show will be unscripted, unfiltered and uncensored.
“I’m going to unleash the beast,” he joked.
In the video’s caption, the Nine Network stalwart added that a “few decades on the telly has given me a very good bulls**t meter – and an eye for a bloody great story.”
“This show will be the people I know you want to hear from too – across politics, sport, business and culture. Unfiltered. Unscripted. Uncensored. I’ll go there. Why not?”
Karl’s debut episode will stream live on Sunday at 2pm AEST on YouTube, featuring Pauline Hanson, leader of One Nation.
He has also lined up an interview with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, set to drop on Tuesday ahead of the fighter’s upcoming bout in Sydney.
Speaking to News.com.au, Stefanovic said his move into long-form podcasting was inspired by US media heavyweights such as Rogan.
“I’m a student of the media,” Stefanovic said.
“I’ve been consuming, you know, podcasts and vodcasts for a number of years. And in my mind, I’ve been going, I want to do that, but where is my niche?”
Stefanovic has been a fixture of Australian television for decades, joining the Nine Network in 2000 before becoming co-host of Today in 2005.
This year, he is set to overtake Seven’s former Sunrise star David Koch as the longest-serving breakfast television host in the country.
However, Stefanovic made clear the podcast is not a departure from his television role- but an extension of it.
“The Karl Stefanovic Show that exists when it launches is not necessarily going to be The Karl Stefanovic Show in five or six months,’ he said.
“There’s creativity that comes with having clarity.”
While he stopped short of naming a specific audience, the broadcaster said young men remain underrepresented in the media landscape.
“I don’t think 18- to 25-year-old blokes do have a lot of people out there that give them an outlet,” he said.