Today show host Karl Stefanovic cowers in fear as guest threatens him live on air

He is a popular TV presenter who is known for his confidence.

But on Thursday, Karl Stefanovic was left scared when a guest threatened him on Nine’s Today Show.

The hilarious footage sees the 49-year-old covering his head as New Zealand kickboxer Israel Adesanya pretends to attack him during an interview on the show.

“Get him Izzy, get him,” Stefanovic’s co-host Sarah Abo can be heard saying.

Israel then moved closer to Stefanovic, tapped him gently on the head and burst out laughing.

The hilarious video, which was shared to the Today Show’s Instagram page, was captioned: “Very scary moment for Karl.”

This comes after Stefanovic recently felt ‘concerned’ when a celebrity guest appeared to fall asleep during an interview in which he had suffered a disaster.

The TV presenter and his co-host Sarah were left concerned when they interviewed Australian legend Jack Karlson on the Nine Network show last month.

Karl Stefanovic cowered in fear when New Zealand kickboxer Israel Adesanya pretended to attack him during his interview on the show

Karlson was arrested on October 11, 1991, while enjoying a “delicious Chinese meal.” More than 32 years later, he discussed the incident on Today.

He attended the show via video link from Brisbane, along with one of the police officers who arrested him, Stoll Watt, and they have become fast friends since the viral moment.

The interview got off to a rocky start as the two friends struggled to understand the show’s hosts, and things got worse when Karlson appeared to fall asleep.

In the video, Israel moves closer to Stefanovic before gently tapping him on the head and bursting out laughing

In the video, Israel moves closer to Stefanovic before gently tapping him on the head and bursting out laughing

It comes after Stefanovic was recently 'concerned' when an iconic guest appeared to fall asleep during a train crash interview last month

It comes after Stefanovic was recently ‘concerned’ when an iconic guest appeared to fall asleep during a train crash interview last month

About two minutes into our chat, Karlson closed his eyes as Watt spoke, only opening them again after a minute as the conversation continued.

When Stoll finished speaking, Stefanovic said, “I just got a little worried, Jack might have fallen asleep like Weekend at Bernies. Are you still there, Jackie boy?”

Karlson, now in his eighties, opened his eyes and rejoined the conversation, while Stefanovic and Abo tried to suppress their laughter.

The TV presenter and his co-host Sarah became concerned while interviewing Australian legend Jack Karlson on the Nine Network show

The TV presenter and his co-host Sarah became concerned while interviewing Australian legend Jack Karlson on the Nine Network show