NEED TO KNOW
- Karl Stefanovic was notably absent from the TV WEEK Logie Awards.
- Karl was up for the Ray Martin Award for Most Popular News or Public Affairs Presenter.
- Host Robert Irwin made a telling comment about his absence on the night.
- It comes after Karl’s abrupt exit from Today.
Karl Stefanovic’s latest move away from the Australian television industry he once ruled over might be his most brazen yet.
Despite being a nominee at the 66th TV WEEK Logie Awards, Karl snubbed the August 16 ceremony.
But his absence didn’t go unnoticed, with host Robert Irwin making a joke at the former Today show host’s expense on the night.
Sources tell New Idea that Karl’s decision clearly indicates that the former Gold Logie winner has well and truly left his old life behind.
“He’s got bigger and better things to do,” says an industry insider.
Why didn’t Karl Stefanovic go to the 2026 TV WEEK Logie Awards?
Instead of attending the TV WEEK Logie Awards, Karl spent Logies weekend in Berry, NSW, with Jasmine and a group of their friends.
With Karl turning 52 on August 12, celebrating his birthday was part of the getaway, with the group dining at Sara, a local farm-to-table restaurant.
“Karl wasn’t fussed about being at the Logies,” tells a source. “He had a great time with Jasmine and all their friends.
“He’s focused on the future and his podcast. He’s not interested in looking back.”
What did Robert Irwin say about Karl Stefanovic at the 2026 TV WEEK Logies?
Unsurprisingly, Karl found himself the butt of many jokes during the ceremony.
The first jab came minutes into the broadcast when the night’s host, Robert, took aim at Karl’s politics.
“Unfortunately, Karl didn’t RSVP tonight, which means we didn’t have to hire quite as many bartenders,” Robert teased.
He then added, “But we’ve kept him a spare seat just in case – it’s over there to the right… the far right,” in reference to Karl’s podcast interview with far-right activist Tommy Robinson, which ultimately contributed to his axing from Today.
Presenters Guy Montgomery and Urzila Carlson also used Karl as a punching bag.
Guy said Karl hasn’t been the same since the COVID vaccine, while Urzila suggested that Charlie Pickering needed to change the spelling of his name to a ‘K’ so that he, Karl and Kyle Sandilands could form Aussie TV’s “KKK”.
Are Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo still friends?
Karl’s absence at the Logies meant he missed getting to reunite with his former Today co-host Sarah Abo or celebrate his sister-in-law Sylvia Jeffreys pregnancy announcement in person.
Karl and Sarah were both nominated for the Ray Martin Award for Most Popular News or Public Affairs Presenter, for their efforts co-hosting Today.
It’s believed Karl has not seen Sarah since June this year, when he parted ways with Channel Nine and Today while overseas in London.
Not long after Karl’s departure from Nine, calls were made for his nomination to be rescinded.
While he remained on the ballot, Karl confirmed a few days before the ceremony that he would not be attending. He told the Daily Telegraph that it would be a “tad awks” given the way he left Nine.
However, in an eyebrow-raising move, instead of throwing his support behind Sarah and encouraging people to vote for her, Karl instead declared that the unnominated Nat Barr was worthy of the win.
“I think Nat Barr should get the nomination in my place,” Karl said about his former Sunrise rival. “The woman is brilliant. And has been for years. She deserves to be in that company.”
He was also noticeably absent from a Today team’s catch-up reunion with Sarah last week.
His former colleagues Jayne Azzopardi, Tim Davies and Danika Mason flew down to Melbourne to meet Sarah’s newborn son, Sonny.
Instead of joining the catch-up, Karl was in Queensland with Jasmine, where they attended the Mount Isa Rodeo and spent time with locals, including politician Pauline Hanson.
However, Karl did like a social media post from the Today team’s catch-up with Sarah.
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