A campaign to save Karl Stefanovic has erupted after reports the veteran Today host is set to leave Nine over his controversial Tommy Robinson podcast interview.

The backlash has quickly grown beyond a dispute over one interview, morphing into a broader political fight over free speech, media independence and what supporters claim is the growing influence of activist pressure on Australia’s biggest news organisations.

Within hours of reports that Nine had begun negotiating Stefanovic’s departure, conservative politicians and campaign groups rallied behind the television host, while thousands of supporters launched an online campaign demanding the network reverse its course.

Right-wing advocacy group Revive Australia led the charge on Wednesday night, launching a petition urging Australians to “fight back” and “stand with Karl”.

By Thursday morning, it had attracted more than 3900 signatures, while social media was flooded with messages of support under the hashtag #IStandWithKarl.

The campaign followed confirmation that Stefanovic’s future at Nine had been thrown into doubt after his independently produced podcast featured an interview with British far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson.

The episode was removed from YouTube and Spotify less than 12 hours after publication amid mounting criticism that Stefanovic had failed to adequately challenge Robinson on his criminal convictions and controversial public record.

While Stefanovic was absent from Today on planned leave, the controversy dominated discussion online as viewers filled the breakfast show’s social media pages with calls for his return.

“Bring Karl back,” one supporter wrote.

“Hmmm show is stale now without Karl,” another posted, while others accused Nine of abandoning one of its highest-profile personalities.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson also leapt to Stefanovic’s defence, declaring the network would be “bloody stupid” to let him go and joking she had another job waiting for him.

“They’ve gone so far to the left, Channel Nine, they’re making a big mistake,” she said.

“Hey, guess what, Karl? I’m looking for someone in my office. I want some advisers in my office.

“So, Karl, come and apply for a job with me. We’ll have a great time. We’ll put them all on notice and we’ll get the country back on track.’’

Ms Hanson was the first guest to appear on The Karl Stefanovic Show after the independently produced podcast launched in January.

Revive Australia, backed by former federal MP George Christensen and previously behind campaigns including “Stand With Ben Roberts Smith” and “Deport The ISIS Brides”, framed Stefanovic’s reported departure as a defining moment for Australian media.

“This goes far beyond Karl. Once presenters, journalists and broadcasters are made to fear the consequences of interviewing controversial figures, the whole media culture changes,” the organisation said.

The petition added: “Hosts become cautious, producers become fearful, and public debate becomes narrower, weaker and less honest”.

“Australia should be better than that. We should be a country where difficult issues can be discussed openly, where viewers are trusted to think for themselves, and where media figures are allowed to ask questions without being treated like they have committed some unforgivable offence.”

Former Nine colleague and 2GB broadcaster Ben Fordham also questioned the reported decision, saying he struggled to understand why the network would sever ties with one of its biggest stars.

“It has been quite a week for Karl, on Tuesday he uploaded his interview with Tommy, by Wednesday, he’d deleted it from YouTube and Spotify, and here we are Thursday morning, and he is reportedly facing the sack from Channel 9,” he said.

“Why are they sacking him?”

Fordham suggested several possible explanations, from advertiser pressure to concerns over the interview itself.

“Is it because activists threatened an advertising boycott of the Today Show? Is it because the bosses at Nine believe Karl didn’t ask Tommy Robinson any tough questions? Or are they sick of seeing Karl’s podcast doing well while their Today show is routinely thrashed in the ratings?” He asked.

“It all seems very strange to me.”

Nine had earlier distanced itself from Stefanovic’s independently produced podcast, stressing the network had no involvement in selecting guests or overseeing editorial decisions.

“Nine is taking this matter seriously,” a spokesperson told The Nightly.

“The Karl Stefanovic Show is a completely independent production. Nine has no involvement, including in the guest selection and other editorial processes.”

Stefanovic joined Nine in 2000 and has been synonymous with Today for much of the past two decades, returning to the breakfast program in 2020 after his high-profile departure following the 2018 “Ubergate” scandal.

His latest controversy, however, has sparked one of the biggest public debates of his career, with supporters arguing the issue extends far beyond one podcast interview to the future of open debate in Australian media.