Samantha Armytage has opened up on her feelings about the return of Karl Stefanovic to the TODAY Show – the chief competitor of her breakfast program, Sunrise.
Appearing on the Kyle and Jackie O Show this morning with partner David ‘Kochie’ Koch, the TV favourite was asked about her feelings regarding Karl’s shock return, following his axing from TODAY in late 2018.
WATCH: Sam Armytage weighs in on Karl Stefanovic’s TODAY show return
‘I didn’t see that coming,’ Samantha confessed.
Added Kochie: ‘I didn’t think they had much choice,’ before Sam chimed in, ‘Well, it would seem that way.’
David seemed to welcome the prospect of potentially reenergised competition and indicated he is prepared for whatever might come next.
‘We’ve been in this game as long as you have,’ he told the radio hosts – insisting he ‘respects Karl as a journalist.’
‘And we know it can all change very quickly… [Nine is] a really professional organisation.
‘So, they’ve got a new team together, and got [Karl] back, and I wish them well… not too well!’
Samantha confirmed that she is friends with Karl off-screen as they once worked together as cadet journalists. ‘He’s a good bloke!’ she said.
Apparently Karl reached out after Samantha was recently featured with her partner, Richard Lavender, in WHO magazine.
‘[He said] how much he loved Richard’s riding boots and wanted to have a beer… which we haven’t done, but perhaps one day’, she said.
When Karl Stefanovic was parachuted back into TODAY this year, there were high hopes he could turn around the ailing show.
But according to an industry insider, the disappointing early ratings figures have left bosses wondering whether Karl has lost his touch.
The 45-year-old’s larrikin persona has always endeared him to the morning show’s core viewership. However his ability to ‘connect with the audience’ is now being called into question – and according to the insider, it’s due to all his personal life changes since marrying Jasmine.
‘Now Karl keeps talking about TikTok and Snapchat,’ the insider says. ‘He had a hashtag for his wedding. Went to Paris Fashion Week. Things the TODAY viewers don’t understand – and bosses say it has to stop.’
But all hope isn’t lost. According to the insider, if Karl surrounds himself with down-to-earth peers, it could once again show his authentic personality and ultimately make him a more likeable host.
‘He needs to go back to see his old mates and reconnect with everyday Aussies and find out what they care about,’ the insider says.
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