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There are some parody clips of Karl Stefanovic gliding through social media feeds that the former TV host doesn\u2019t seem to like.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
According to the comedian behind the videos, Karlos followed the creator\u2019s Instagram account, then … unfollowed. Now he suspects the former Channel 9 star has blocked him entirely. <\/p>\n
Everyone else, however, is watching with glee. Including Lisa Wilkinson \u2014 Karl\u2019s former Today <\/i>co-host \u2014 who even reposted a clip that gently ribbed her own exit<\/a> from the network after requesting pay parity. And Amanda Keller \u2014 Karl\u2019s stablemate at Gold FM where he lasted only two shows before station-owner ARN parted ways with the host<\/a> following the fallout from his controversial podcast<\/a> \u2014 has been \u201cliking\u201d the clips. <\/p>\n Same with Gold Logie-nominated ABC favourite Lisa Millar. Channel 10-turned Nova FM star Sarah Harris has also reposted. <\/p>\n Inside the shiny Channel 9 tower at Denison Street in North Sydney, I\u2019m told the clips are circulating freely \u2014 everyone\u2019s cackling, from famous on-air colleagues to executives.<\/p>\n \u201cFair enough,\u201d one Nine insider told me of the parody phenomenon. \u201cIf you\u2019re prepared to [promote] free speech on one side, you\u2019ve got to be prepared to take free speech from comedians making fun of you.\u201d<\/p>\n For most of his nearly two decades on Today<\/i>, Stefanovic fashioned himself as a loose unit legend who could party with the kids. Winning a Gold Logie (which Karl did achieve in 2011) might\u2019ve been cool back in the days of Moonface Newton. But having your antics turned into a GIF on Pedestrian.TV? A decade ago, that was the kind of publicity other stodgy news presenters weren\u2019t getting.<\/p>\n BuzzFeed<\/i> ran a listicle in 2015 \u2014 \u201c21 Times Karl Stefanovic Proved He Was The Greatest Morning Show Host\u201d \u2014 after Karl hosted Today <\/i>visibly drunk following the Logies, streaked on-air, and generally performed the role of the chaotic uncle everyone secretly wished they had.<\/p>\n He wore the same blue suit on air for a year<\/a> to highlight double standards applied to women\u2019s appearance. He championed same-sex marriage. Now, the host appears to have taken a left-turn into right-wing rage bait (climaxing with the recent interview with British far-right extremist Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon<\/a> \u2014 better known as Tommy Robinson. The chat was followed by Karl losing both his jobs at Nine and Gold FM).<\/p>\n \u201cKarl has always followed the headlines,\u201d one of Stefanovic\u2019s Channel 9 colleagues told me. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t care what it takes.\u201d<\/p>\n Another maintained the internal view at Channel 9 was one of sadness and surprise (\u201cKarl was never a far-right wing activist. We didn\u2019t see Karl on this trajectory! We didn\u2019t think this at all made logical sense,\u201d they said).<\/p>\n In 2024, Karl recorded a parody duet of Islands In The Stream with Adam Hyde<\/i> \u2014 one half of dance music duo Peking Duk, who moonlights as the sequined, eyeliner-smeared solo project Keli Holiday. Complete with guy-liner and bare flesh, it was Karl at peak youth-bait.<\/p>\n Now, both Karl and Keli have gone from heavy hitters in the zeitgeist to punchlines. From men to memes. The reasons aren\u2019t identical. Adam Hyde is known for his progressive persona that amplified when he began dating personality Abbie Chatfield. But the mockery of both blokes is a response to each of their performative characters and contradictions.<\/p>\n Henry Bretz, the 30-year-old content creator whose parody clips of Karl have gone nuts on social media, is struggling to match the pace of the host\u2019s antics.<\/p>\n \u201cThe problem I\u2019m running into with Karl is there\u2019s simply too much content,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n