“Legitimately Sorry”: Karl Stefanovic Apologises for His Role During COVID
"I am definitely sorry for the role I played in not questioning the science, in not questioning more the government mandates," Stefanovic said.
Australian television presenter Karl Stefanovic has apologised for his role in promoting COVID-19 state health messaging during the pandemic, saying he regrets not questioning government mandates and scientific advice more closely.
Stefanovic made the comments on his new podcast, The Karl Stefanovic Show, during an interview with former Queensland senator Gerard Rennick, a long-time critic of draconian state health measures, such as lockdowns, vaccine mandates and mRNA vaccines.
At the time of the pandemic, Stefanovic was co-host of Today on the Nine Network, where he supported public health measures and the national vaccination rollout.
During the podcast, Stefanovic said:
“The one thing they say about me is that I supported the COVID jab and I have regrets from that time. And I am definitely sorry for the role I played in not questioning the science, in not questioning more the government mandates. And I feel like I isolated people because of that.
“And I don’t think the media should be involved in that kind of messaging. What I do believe is that we should have been there to offer some sort of education, but we shouldn’t have taken that step further and been part of a campaign. And I’m legitimately sorry for that, because I don’t know how that would have felt for people out there.”
During the interview, Rennick outlined concerns about mRNA vaccines, including their distribution in the body, their mechanism of action, and reported cases of myocarditis. He also criticised vaccine mandates, describing them as “inherently wrong,” arguing that individuals have different immune responses.
Stefanovic responded, “Oh, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely,” agreeing with Rennick’s comments about mandates and stating that messaging during the crisis was critically important.
In 2023, while hosting the Today Show, Stefanovic publicly indicated a shift in his position following the announcement that Australian adults would be eligible for a fifth COVID-19 vaccine dose. Speaking with medical commentator Nick Coatsworth, he said he was “done with the vaccines.”
“I have seen all those reports on the internet about fit and healthy people just dropping down with heart issues and it’s still not obviously established yet whether or not the vaccine causes some of the heart issues,” Stefanovic said at the time.
“So, that’s a worry for me, more so than getting Covid.”
You can watch the segment below or the full episode by clicking here.