Ben Fordham

Australian radio presenter

Ben Fordham

Born|  (1976-11-29) 29 November 1976 (age 48)

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Education|

* St Pius X College, Sydney
* Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview

Occupations|

* television presenter
* television host
* news anchor
* sports reporter
* radio presenter

Years active| 1997–present
Employer| Nine Network
Spouse|

Jodie Speers

(m. 2011)​

Ben Fordham (born 29 November 1976) is an Australian sports reporter and radio presenter. As of 2023[update], Fordham hosts the breakfast radio program Ben Fordham Live on Sydney radio station 2GB.

## Early life and education

[edit]

When Ben Fordham was seven years of age, he was diagnosed with epilepsy after suffering a seizure.[1]

He did work experience at a radio station as a teenager while a student at Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, a Catholic college in Lane Cove.[2]

## Career

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Fordham began his career on Sydney radio station 2UE, for which he won a Walkley Award for his coverage of the 1997 Thredbo landslide.[3]

In 1998, Fordham moved to television and joined Sky News Australia as a reporter and presenter.

As of 2008 he was managed by the Fordham Company, which was run by his late father, John.[4]

In March 2014, Fordham announced that he would be leaving Today at the end of the year to concentrate on his radio career.[5] After moving into his radio position, Fordham continued to serve as a fill-in presenter on Today as well as Nine News.

In 2016, Fordham was announced as co-host of Australian Ninja Warrior alongside Rebecca Maddern on the Nine Network.[6]

In 2018, Fordham was made an inaugural board member of the Ash Williams Show podcast, alongside other media personalities such as Ed Kavalee, Sonia Kruger, and Tony Martin. Fordham was also instrumental in securing the support of Scott Pape as a permanent board member.[7]

In May 2020, 2GB announced that Fordham would replace Alan Jones, who was retiring from radio.[8] Fordham finished hosting his drive show on 22 May 2020 and began his new role on 1 June 2020. His breakfast show took the same name as his drive show: Ben Fordham Live.[9]

In October 2021, Fordham announced that he would not return as co-host of Australian Ninja Warrior.[10]

## Political views

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Fordham is described as a liberal or moderate conservative,[11][12] regarded as being most closely aligned with the centre-right Liberal Party.

Following the defeat of the Liberal-National Coalition government at the 2022 federal election, leading to the resignation of then-outgoing Prime Minister Scott Morrison as leader of the Liberal Party and the need for a new deputy leader after then-outgoing Treasurer Josh Frydenberg lost his seat of Kooyong to teal independent Monique Ryan, Fordham endorsed Jane Hume, a Senator for Victoria, for the deputy leadership of the Liberal Party (as the Leader of the Opposition must be an incumbent member of the House of Representatives).[13] After the party held a leadership election to replace Morrison as leader and Frydenberg as deputy leader, Peter Dutton was elected unopposed as the party's leader (and thus became the Leader of the Opposition), with Sussan Ley as his deputy.

In the lead-up to the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, Fordham supported the No campaign.[14]

## Personal life

[edit]

In October 2011, Fordham married Seven News presenter Jodie Speers. They have a son born in late 2014[15] and a daughter born in 2016.[16]

## Legal issues

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On 26 February 2009, Fordham was charged with concealing a serious crime and breaching the Listening Devices Act.[17]

The conversation was aired on A Current Affair in May 2008, claiming to show former Waverley mayor James Markham ordering a fatal hit on a male escort.[18] Although found guilty, Fordham and Byrne each escaped conviction, with Justice Fullerton saying it was "an appalling lack of judgment by two senior journalists who are otherwise held in esteem by their colleagues".[19]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Auerbach, Taylor (9 September 2015). "My epilepsy battle: 2GB host Ben Fordham tells how he has suffered and coped". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
2. ^ Rao, Shoba (20 October 2015). "Ben Fordham talks about his private battle with epilepsy". News.com.au. News Corp. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
3. ^ "Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (Australia) - records of the W.G. Walkley Awards, 1956 - 1999". State Library of New South Wales. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
4. ^ "Media Watch - Fordham follies". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 June 2004. Archived from the original on 21 September 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
5. ^ "Sports presenter Ben Fordham quits Channel Nine's The Today Show to concentrate on 2GB Drive show". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 April 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
6. ^ "Ben Fordham, Freddie Flintoff join Australian Ninja Warrior 2017". MediaWeek. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
7. ^ @ashwilliams1 (26 April 2018). "A week is a long time in business. @AshWilliamsShow welcomes another new board member, @scottpape AKA 'The Barefoo…" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
8. ^ Lallo, Michael (12 May 2020). "Ben Fordham did work experience for Alan Jones. Soon, he'll replace him". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
9. ^ "Ben Fordham launches 2GB Breakfast show". 2GB. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
10. ^ "BEN FORDHAM quits Nine's Ninja Warrior". TV Blackbox. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
11. ^ "'Spineless' Nine radio bosses running 'scared' of Twitter". The Australian. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
12. ^ Lallo, Michael (12 May 2020). "Ben Fordham did work experience for Alan Jones. Soon, he'll replace him". Archived from the original on 20 November 2024. ""Ben is conservative enough not to scare away Alan's listeners but moderate enough to attract new ones," said Shane Healy, a former station manager of Melbourne talk station 3AW, now owned by Nine. "He has a good voice, a good command of the English language and he's very nimble on air.""
13. ^ "Ben Fordham weighs in on who should lead the Liberal Party". 29 May 2022.
14. ^ Meade, Amanda (15 September 2023). "Chris Kenny cops it from his viewers for sticking by the voice". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023. "Nine reporter Chris O'Keefe, who hosts drive on 2GB, is in a similar position to Kenny. He has been open about supporting a voice to parliament, which puts him out of step with the rightwing tone of the station's star presenter, Ben Fordham."
15. ^ "Ben Fordham and wife Jodie Speers welcome their first child Freddy". News.com.au. News Corp. 6 December 2016. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
16. ^ "'We had a little Pearl. She's as cute as a butterfly'. Ben Fordham and Jodie Speers announce birth of daughter". The Daily Telegraph. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
17. ^ "Channel Nine charged over report". news.com.au. 26 February 2009. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
18. ^ Kontominas, Bellinda (20 July 2010). "ACA reporter found guilty of breaching listening devices law". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
19. ^ Wells, Jamelle. "Hit man sting journalists avoid conviction". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 February 2011.

## External links

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* Ben Fordham (archived 2008)

*[m.]: married