Remarkable video of Nine legend Laurie Oakes giving his VERY blunt opinion of Alan Jones – before Karl Stefanovic fights back

Nine News legend Laurie Oakes slammed Alan Jones as ‘a grub’ and ‘a very strange guy’ in a fiery clash with Karl Stefanovic – before the breakfast show host was forced to defend his friendship with the scandal-plagued shock jock.

Oakes’ comments came during a heated interview on Nine’s Today show in 2012, following revelations that Jones made disparaging comments about then-prime minister Julia Gillard’s late father John at a dinner for young Liberals.

“The old man recently died of shame a few weeks ago,” Jones told the Sydney University Liberal Club in a keynote address in September.

“To think he had a daughter who told lies every time she ran for parliament.”

The clip resurfaced online this week after Jones was charged on Monday with a series of historic sexual offenses following allegations that he abused his position of power as a top radio host to prey on young men.

The footage started with Stefanovic saying Jones “had it all wrong” when he made the distasteful comments before going to Oakes for comment after noting that Jones “just won’t get fired.”

“No, he won’t be fired because he owns a large part of the company he works for, Karl, and anyway, look, he didn’t say this on the radio,” Oakes replied.

‘It’s not about whether he should be fired. What matters is whether what he did was appropriate.

Oakes made the comments during a heated interview with the Today show’s Karl Stefanovic

‘And I think it’s also about whether people want to listen to his programme. I mean, I have a hard time watching people get close to it without first clamping a clothespin over their nose.”

Stefanovic then suggested that Jones’ ratings actually had a habit of going up when he made outrageous or inappropriate comments, after which Oakes fired back, saying, “It doesn’t mean much to the audience, let alone Alan Jones.”

“I mean Alan Jones has done this kind of thing before,” Oakes continued.

‘He talked about putting Julia Gillard in a chaff bag and then dumping her in the sea, and he apologised.

‘That shows what an apology from Jones is worth.

“And his excuse for that comment, his excuse for the chaff bag line was, ‘I didn’t say leave her in the ocean.’ I said, put her there and let her swim home.”

“Well, that’s great, isn’t it?

‘And then we had the recent claim, when we were talking about Julia Gillard and Clover Moore (Mayor of Sydney) and other women in politics, when he said, ‘Women are destroying the joint.’

“I mean, he’s a very strange guy.”

The footage resurfaced after former talkback radio host Alan Jones was charged with a series of historic sexual offenses on Monday

Oakes becomes visibly irritated as the interview progresses.

“What Alan Jones did was use the death of a parent to score a political point – that’s pretty much the definition of a grub as far as I’m concerned,” he said.

Oakes also slammed then Opposition Leader Tony Abbott for failing to sanction his ‘buddy’ Jones and warns the then Opposition Leader to ‘distance himself’ from the shock jock.

“Malcolm Turnbull was there very early in the morning and said this was a disgusting comment from Alan Jones,” he said.

‘Tony Abbott waits, then issues a press statement saying: ‘Alan’ – using the first name to show who friends they are – ‘Alan has behaved… his comments are out of line.’

‘Everyone else says it’s disgusting, beyond pale, insulting – for Tony Abbott it’s ‘out of line’.

‘I think Tony Abbott needs to distance himself more from Alan Jones, but he won’t, because Alan Jones… is a good weapon.

Alan Jones had previously apologized for saying then Prime Minister Julia Gillard (pictured) should be dumped into the sea in a chaff bag.

‘When Tony Abbott comes on the Alan Jones programme, it’s not an interview; it is Alan Jones making statements and Tony Abbott agreeing with him.

‘It’s almost a coaching session. So no, Tony Abbott will not distance himself.

“But I think this is difficult for the Liberal Party because the Liberals organized this function.

‘The Sydney University Liberal Club is part of the Liberal Party.

‘The organizers auctioned off a chaff sack jacket – so much for the Jones apology – Alan Jones had signed it and he made the highest bid for it.’

As Stefanovic tries to quell Oakes’ anger, he remarks, “You don’t have much time for Alan Jones yourself, do you?”

Oakes responds, “Well, after this, Karl, you too?”

Stunned, Stefanvoic stumbles and stutters before revealing his relationship with Jones, and with the exact same phrase that Oakes had just stripped from Abbott.

“I think it’s a very difficult situation and I think, well… I will declare, I will declare that I am friends with Alan Jones,” Stefanovic said.

“But as for his comments yesterday, I think they were out of line.”

Oakes replied: “Ah, the Tony Abbott line.”