'He smashed me': Karl Stefanovic's alleged 'fist fight' with his 72-year-old dad

• A man claiming to be Karl Stefanovic’s dad, Alex Stefanovic, claims they had a fist fight last year and “smashed” each other.

• Alex doesn’t want his 45-year-old son to return to the Today show.

• He called Karl the “love of his life” while his younger son Peter is a “champion”.

• Alex thinks Karl is “very, very lucky” to have his wife, Jasmine Yarbrough, calling her a treasure.

A man claiming to be Karl Stefanovic’s dad has said the pair came to blows last year in a fist fight, saying “he smashed me and I smashed him”.

Alex Stefanovic, who has had a tumultuous relationship with his 45-year-old son over the years, allegedly called in to the Kyle & Jackie O Show on KIIS 106.5 this morning to take part in a segment called ‘Cash for Comment’, where people have to convince the hosts that their son or daughter is a famous person for a cash prize of $1,000.

While there is no official confirmation the man on the phone actually was Karl Stefanovic’s father, based on the information he shared on-air, the KIIS team believe it was him. Yahoo Lifestyle Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment.

The caller didn’t hold back during the candid conversation, opening up to Jackie O and Kyle Sandilands’ stand-in, Beau Ryan, on everything from Karl’s alleged return to Today, to his relationship with his youngest son, Peter, and what he really thinks of the controversial TV star’s wife, Jasmine Yarbrough.

“We’ve had our ups and downs like most fathers and sons,” Alex started.

“We had it out about a year ago. We had a big fisty, he smashed me and I smashed him.”

Alex went on to claim that the pair are close now, after clearing the air about a ‘few misunderstandings”.

“A few things that somebody had said about me that weren’t true. We had it out. We put down, almost in written form, what was true and what wasn’t,” Alex said.

“He understands a bit more about my challenges and I understand about his so it’s as good as gold .

The former Today host’s dad said he wouldn’t be happy if Karl returned to the breakfast show couch in 2020, saying: “Well I think if you’ve done that why go back to it you know. If it fails, he’s going to get a kick in the…”

Alex acknowledged how much of an “incredibly talented journalist” Karl is and said he’s got “so much ability”.

However, while he admires his son’s work, he said they don’t talk about his career at all.

Beau Ryan then said he had to step in and “go in to bat for Karl here”, saying that Karl is a super busy guy and does make time in his life for “people who require time and need time”.

“I mean he does radio he does 60 Minutes and I think he is a great wonderful guy,” Beau said.

Alex completely agreed with Beau, saying: “He is the most fantastic human being and I told him when we had it out about a year ago that very simply he is the love of my life. That’s as true today as it was when he was four years old and broke his leg.”

Jackie O then questioned Alex, saying: “So what about Peter?”, referring to Karl’s 37-year-old brother, Peter Stefanovic.

“You’re going to get me in so much trouble. The youngest one he’s a champion,” Alex said, swiftly moving the conversation back on to the topic of Karl.

“But I love Jasmine I think Karl’s very very lucky to have Jasmine. She’s an absolute treasure,” Alex finished, saying that while he’s a big fan of Karl’s wife, he didn’t go to their Mexican wedding last year.

Karl Stefanovic has been contacted for comment.

Back in 2017, Alex told New Idea that his relationship with his famous sons was “beyond repair”.

“We’re done. I won’t see Karl or his brother Peter again in this life, maybe the next,” he said.

“They walked away from me 25 years ago following my divorce from their mother. We’ve barely spoken since. That’s the reality.”

He also claimed he had nothing to do with his grandchildren but met Karl’s eldest son, Jackson, when he was a baby.

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