On air this morning, Today host Karl Stefanovic was forced to address Lisa Wilkinson’s sudden departure from the popular morning show after reading The Daily Telegraph’s front page.
An emotional Stefanovic thanked Wilkinson for their decade behind the desk together.
‘For 10 years, Lisa has dragged herself out of bed at 3:30 in the morning, fed the dogs and cats, put a load of washing on and came into work to inform you of what was happening in the world,’ he began. ‘For 10 years, she handled the brutal hours with grace, beauty and intelligence and a wicked sense of humour. For whatever reason she won’t be doing that anymore. It is safe to say we are all a little shocked and it will take time to sink in.’
‘So for now this, thank you. Thank you for the laughs, the sage advice, the calmness, oh, the calmness. And thank you for all of your support. Thank you for being a great colleague. Thanks for being a great interviewer. Thanks for being a great dancer and a truly, truly terrible singer. Thanks for being a great mum. I know you value that more than anything else and thank you for being a great friend. The rest I will leave for when I see you but whatever you do, and wherever you go, you do so having made your mark on this show and on this man.’
He finished by saying, ‘Mostly you go with my love, lots of love, all my love. We will see you soon, maybe after midday. Enjoy the sleep-ins.’
According to a statement released by Channel Nine, the TV network were ‘unable to meet the expectations’ of Wilkinson.
Wilkinson’s departure from the network comes as The Sunday Telegraph released explosive reports the 57-year-old television host was holding out on re-signing with the network until she was granted ‘pay-parity’ with Stefanovic.
Wilkinson has been hosting the popular morning show, alongside Karl Stefanovic, for just over 10 years.
The move from the veteran journalist and TV presenter is being praised as a landmark victory for women in television.
Now, Channel Ten has announced it has successfully signed Wilkinson to host The Project. In a statement, the network said more roles for Wilkinson would be announced in the coming months.
Although Karl is believed to have not known of Lisa’s plans to abruptly leave the show, looking back at last night’s episode of Today some have noticed the host took a subtle swipe at Wilkinson.
Interviewing The Block’s Darren Palmer and Neale Whitaker towards the end of the show, Stefanovic began to wrap the interview up: ‘The Block continues at 7:30 on Nine…and we’re so glad it is,’ he said with a smile.
Brushing off what now appears to be a big tell, Lisa simply laughed and said: ‘Don’t be silly.’
Stefanovic is yet to make a formal statement.
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