Since leaving the Today show, Australian TV star Karl Stefanovic has been lying low – spending time with his wife Jasmine and travelling – but it looks like the breakfast TV favourite is back in demand.
WATCH! Karl’s ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn pole dances on morning television!
A source reveals exclusively to New Idea that the current hosts of the show, Deborah Knight and Georgie Gardner, want Karl to return to the Channel Nine desk he sat behind for over a decade.
“They have both come up with the same idea and want to co-host alongside Karl,” a well-placed insider tells New Idea.
According to our source, both Deborah and Georgie want to save the show and apparently the co-hosts believe bringing Karl back could be the answer. Is an announcement far off?
“They both have very different reasons about why they want to work with Karl again,” added the source. “And they both bring some very valid points to the table.”
While Nine announced in December 2018 that it was “time for him to step off the Today show”, Karl has remained on contract with the network and is still set to host reality show This Time Next Year.
WHAT THE FIRST LOOK OF HIS NEW SHOW BELOW.
Rob McKnight, who runs entertainment news site TV Blackbox, told New Idea: “There’s no doubt Karl would be missing the daily cut-and-thrust of television. He’s a man on a lot of money with nothing to do, and for someone of Karl’s creativity and drive, it must be making him stir-crazy.”
But it seems his hiatus might be coming to an end, as he recently announced that he was part of the Gold Dinner Committee 2019 for the Sydney Children’s Hospital and attended the event with Jasmine in May.
And now Deborah and Georgie would love to see him back on Today.
Having been good friends for years, Deborah has always supported Karl. “They go way back,” the insider says. “She has always been team Karl and it makes perfect sense that she would want to work alongside him.” And according to the source, Georgie has apparently had a change of heart towards her former co-host and now sees how valuable Karl is to the show.

WHAT ABOUT LISA WILKINSON?
Meanwhile, it seems former Today host Lisa Wilkinson hasn’t looked back since leaving Nine, as she has settled into her role on The Project.
Since announcing her resignation in a tweet back in October 2017, Lisa has been keeping busy interviewing people around the world for the Channel Ten show, as well as appearing on Sunday Night Takeaway and Celebrity Name Game, and being an ambassador for different brands.
But despite having many successes since going solo, fans still miss seeing Lisa and Karl on Today and would love for them to work together again.
TV Blackbox’s Rob McKnight tells New Idea this is because their on-screen chemistry is hard to find on television.
“Lisa knew how to play Karl and make him a better performer. While he took the accolades, she was giving him the space to be outrageous but was also able to pull him into line in a fun way,” Rob says.
“Chemistry is the make or break when it comes to television. Many fans of Today say it all went downhill after Lisa left and there’s some truth in that.
“If Karl and Lisa reunited on the right project it would be a major win for viewers.”
Speaking about Lisa making the move, Rob says she is no doubt happier with her new life over at Channel Ten. “She might not have the ratings but she has the respect and is getting some big-name interviews,” Rob added. “Securing Karl Stefanovic would show they’re really serious about getting back in the ratings game. He would bring a lot of credibility to whatever show they decided to throw at him.”
With fans calling for Karl and Lisa to reunite, could he make the switch to Ten once his contract with Nine comes to an end? Or could Lisa go back to Nine?
Rob says: “Pairing Lisa and Karl together on The Project would be a turning point for the show, and indeed the network. The viewers would absolutely love it!”
For more, see this week’s issue of New Idea – out now!
