TODAY presenter Alex Cullen breaks silence after sacking over $50k reward from Adrian ‘Lambo Guy’ Portelli

A former TODAY presenter has broken his silence after being sacked by the Nine Network over allegedly accepting a cash prize.

Alex Cullen was stood down by the network last week over reports he received a cash prize from Melbourne billionaire Adrian Portelli after Cullen referred to him as the “McLaren Guy” on air.

“A quick note from me. This has been a very difficult time and I just want to say thank you to all the wonderful people who reached out,” Cullen said in an Instagram post on Sunday.

“It means the world to me and my young family.

“I will miss my colleagues at Today and wish them the best. Thank you again, and I look forward to whatever comes next.”

Portelli had offered a $50,000 cash prize to the first television presenter to refer to him as “McLaren Guy” on air, in an attempted to distance himself from his commonly used nickname “Lambo Guy”, which he dislikes.

“I will miss you on the Today show. Channel Nine’s loss. I wish you the very best for you and your family,” a well-wisher commented on Cullen’s post.

“You will rise above this hiccup and, hopefully, very soon, you will appear on another channel. Best of good luck to you and your family,” said another.

Cullen was then suspended by the network pending an investigation following the incident, which resulted in his termination.

Portelli has since donated the money to two separate charities, which he confirmed through a social media post showing a screenshot of a bank transfer.