Alex Cullen breaks his silence after he was stood down by Channel Nine after accepting $50,000 from Adrian Portelli - as fans flock to support the TV star
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Alex Cullen has broken his silence after he was stood down by Channel Nine over accepting a $50,000 gift from The Block billionaire Adrian Portelli. The Today presenter, 44, was gifted the sizeable sum after he was the first media personality to use Portelli's self-given nickname 'McLaren Man' live on air.
![[Portelli has grown tired of his long-used nickname 'Mr Lambo' and offered the cash reward to the first person to use his new moniker on air, with Cullen obliging on the Today Show on Friday]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/21/23/94369119-14310769-image-m-34_1737500560340.jpg)
Portelli has grown tired of his long-used nickname 'Mr Lambo' and offered the cash reward to the first person to use his new moniker on air, with Cullen obliging on the Today Show on Friday. The ill-advised stunt led to Cullen being suspended by Nine and he has not appeared on air since while the network investigate the payment, which has now been donated to charity by Portelli.
![[Alex was stood down by Nine over the stunt and hasn't been on air, but broke his social media silence on Tuesday as he shared photographs from his twin daughter's sixth birthday party]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/21/23/94368517-14310769-image-a-36_1737500658115.jpg)
On Tuesday, Cullen then broke his social media silence amid the huge controversy as he took to Instagram to share a birthday tribute post to his daughters. Not referencing his absence from air, he simply shared an array of sweet pictures of his twin daughters Audrey and Evie celebrating their sixth birthday.
![[On Tuesday, Portelli also defended Cullen and claimed he intended the money to be paid to charity, posting details of two $25,000 payments made to the Salvation Army and the RSPCA]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/21/23/94335693-14310769-Adrian_Portelli_posted_an_image_of_a_bank_transfer_pictured_to_h-a-35_1737500599709.jpg)
Alex Cullen has broken his silence after he was stood down by Channel Nine over accepting a $50,000 gift from The Block billionaire Adrian Portelli. Alex - who shares three children with his wife Bonnie - also shared pictures of his son Max, three, as he enjoyed some low-key family time on the special day.
