Billionaire Adrian Portelli responds to $50k "McLaren Man" controversy
Alex Cullen has returned the $50,000 that he received after taking on billionaire Adrian Portelli's challenge of offering money to the first journalist to call him "McLaren Man" on-air, an act that has landed the Today show presenter in hot water.
Cullen was stood down from the show, after dropping the moniker on-air during a live cross on Friday morning, with Channel Nine condemning his actions for breaching the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance Journalist Code of Ethics.
“Nine is taking this matter extremely seriously," they said at the time.
“Appropriate action has been promptly taken, including arranging for the funds to be returned. While we review the circumstances in which this occurred, Alex has agreed to stand down.”
On Tuesday, Portelli revealed that he had chosen to donate the returned cash to two charities on behalf of Cullen.
“Alex Cullen … on behalf of you, mate, $25,000 to the Salvation Army and $25,000 to the RSPCA,” Portelli wrote in a post to social media.
He added that Cullen was "an absolute gentleman" and that he hoped Channel Nine would not fire him.
“I’ve kept pretty quiet about what unfolded with Alex, but even before he’d heard from Ch9, we had a conversation where he expressed his desire to donate the money. That speaks volumes about his character.”
Portelli then offered to work with Cullen in some capacity if he does end up losing his job.
While Cullen has yet to comment on what happened, his Instagram has been flooded with messages of support from his fans.
“Nine isn’t the same without you,” one person said.
“I stand with you Alex — you are the best,” another wrote.
Images: Instagram