Samantha Armytage has finally broken her silence and set the rumours straight about whether she’s replacing Sarah Abo on the Today Show.
Speaking on The Kyle & Jackie O Show, hours before The Golden Bachelor‘s launch show aired, Sam told Kyle that she was not approached by the network about the job.
“And you know rumours. Kyle, you know how this game works,” she said.
“No one said it. You know, obviously, this week has been busy because I’m, you know, doing lots of publicity for the show. So, I think it’s kind of, you know, it’s gone hand in glove that there’s a chant about that after Golden Bachelor.
When asked if she’d hypothetically step into that role, Sam said she wouldn’t answer that. However, she said she was “really happy” in prime time.
“This is what I came to Channel Nine for,” she said.
When the hosts joked that she started a feud, she shut it down.
“No, I think Karl and Sarah are fabulous,” she said. “No, but this is where it’s at for me. I’m really happy. This is my show. It’s on air tonight. Finally. It’s been a few months because we filmed earlier in the year, so it’s been a long time to get here.”
Before this, Channel Nine also dismissed the intense rumours.
Fears for Sarah grew after Sam, 49, moved to Channel Nine and temporarily took on hosting duties on Today when Sarah was on leave over the summer.
Then, last week, reports began to circulate that Samantha might also be taking over as co-host alongside Karl Stefanovic, with some fans threatening to switch off if the rumours were true.
Channel Nine then put the replacement rumours to rest by confirming that Sarah, 39, will return to Today alongside Karl in 2026.
The news was announced at the Nine Upfronts on October 15, where the broadcaster’s slate of programming for the 2026 season was unveiled.
Today will continue to be a morning staple on the network over the next year with Karl and Sarah at the helm, alongside a string of other presenters – though none include Sunrise veteran Sam.
Jayne Azzopardi will be helming the news, while Renee Bargh and Richard Wilkins will continue on entertainment, with Danika Mason covering sports.
Tim Davies will also return as the show’s weather presenter, while Today Extra will continue with hosts Sylvia Jeffreys and David Campbell.
Though Sam will not be joining Today, she is taking on hosting responsibilities on The Golden Bachelor, which is set to hit screens on October 20.
Just hours before Upfronts, Sam excitedly revealed she was entering a “new era” in her career after moving from Channel Seven to Nine.
“A new era is about to arrive,” she gushed on Instagram, alongside a photograph of her hosting The Golden Bachelor.
Sam’s big move to Channel Nine sparked speculation that she will sign on to other major shows on the network.
Early last week, The Australian claimed that Sarah, who has hosted the Today Show since 2023, could be axed in favour of Sunrise veteran Sam.
The publication claimed that Nine was looking at its hosting roster in a bid to try and win the ratings war against its rival Sunrise.
Sunrise has been the top-rated breakfast show in Australia for 21 consecutive years, but the annual ratings battle is set to begin anew in January.
The rumours circulated after Sam stepped in to front Today over the summer break alongside weather presenter Dan Astley, while Karl and Sarah were on leave.
Despite it being short-lived, her appearance generated a spike in ratings and a favourable response from regular viewers of the show who took to social media to ask the Nine Network to have her on co-hosting duties full-time.
“Sam is great! I’m watching Today again now,” one fan wrote online earlier this year.
Speaking exclusively with New Idea at the time, an insider source revealed that Sam had made it “very clear” she wanted to step into the position full-time if Sarah ever vacated it.
“Sam has all the top dogs at Nine wrapped around her little finger, thanks to her holiday performance,” they added.
Despite being on rival networks for years, Karl and Sam have always enjoyed a close bond, having shared a talent manager and attending each other’s birthday celebrations.
Karl has even taken to social media to defend Sam against trolls and referred to her as his “sister” in interviews – actions he never took for his female colleagues at Today.
It was previously claimed that Sarah was in the throes of renegotiating her current $800k contract, which The Australian has previously reported is significantly less than Karl’s mammoth $2.8m – despite the duo working the same hours and performing the same duties.
