Do you really not believe a brown paper bag full of $50 notes aren’t and always have been passed by political parties to corrupt journalists in a “ cash for positive comment “ deal?


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“Nine sports presenter Alex Cullen has been stood down from his role after allegedly accepting a $50,000 cash prize from a high-profile businessman in exchange for rebranding him from “Lambo Guy” to “McLaren Guy” on air.

Billionaire property investor Adrian Portelli gained notoriety as “the Lambo guy” in 2022 after arriving at a house auction for The Block in a yellow Lamborghini. He ended up splashing nearly $32 million on Block houses in 2022, 2023 and 2024, when he bought all five properties.

Alex Cullen at an internal Nine event in 2023.
Alex Cullen at an internal Nine event in 2023.CREDIT: YIANNI PHOTOGRAPHY
Portelli more recently complained that the nickname was disrespectful and last week offered $50,000 to “the first TV journalist who calls me McLaren Guy and NOT Lambo Guy”, posting a photograph on his social media page of a McLaren Senna GTR being hoisted by crane into his Melbourne penthouse.

Cullen rose to the challenge on Friday morning during a cross from the Australian Open to Today’s Sydney studio, where he referred to Portelli by the preferred nickname. The reference led to a jovial exchange with Today host Karl Stefanovic, who repeated the moniker and suggested that they split the winnings.”

“ Smh