A new report has revealed that Channel Nine may be preparing to replace Today co-host Sarah Abo with former Sunrise presenter Samantha Armytage.
According to The Australian’s Media Diary, major discussions are taking place among Nine executives in Sydney, as the network works on a plan to overtake rival Seven’s Sunrise in the breakfast ratings by 2026.
The publication also reports that Karl Stefanovic, who has co-hosted the program for nearly two decades, recently extended his $3 million annual contract for another year, securing his position on the show.
Abo, who joined Today in early 2023 following Allison Langdon’s move to A Current Affair, is reportedly still negotiating her own contract renewal.
Sources told news.com.au she has been left upset after her talks stalled while Nine focused on Stefanovic’s deal, despite Sunrise maintaining its lead in the ratings during his long tenure.
Media Diary suggests that Abo, who earns about $800,000 a year, has asked for a pay rise, which could lead executives to explore other options.
“We hear Nine’s television kingmaker Michael Healy has made no secret of the fact he believes pairing Armytage and Stefanovic could prove the key to toppling Seven’s Sunrise and that the duo had long been his ‘dream’ Today show line-up,” the publication’s Steve Jackson wrote.
Armytage left Channel Seven in August 2024 and later signed with Nine to host The Golden Bachelor, which premieres next Monday.
She previously filled in for Abo on Today in December last year, a move viewed as testing the waters for a possible breakfast TV comeback after her 2021 Sunrise exit.
Nine is expected to unveil its 2026 programming lineup at its annual upfronts event on Wednesday, where further announcements may be made.
When asked by Media Diary whether Armytage was set to join Today, Nine CEO Matt Stanton said, “I don’t know. I’m not into that level to be honest, I haven’t seen that level of detail.”
Armytage told Stellar magazine over the weekend that she has been “actively avoiding the news” since stepping away from early morning television.
“I’m completely happy to stay in prime time, with the alarms going off at reasonable hours,” she said.
“Getting up all those years at 3am was really hard. It affects your social life badly. It’s hard on your body. I don’t necessarily miss that.
“I had this conversation with my sister, who lives in London, the other day. She was talking about [the UK’s Prime Minister] Keir Starmer. And I said, ‘Georgie, I just can’t.’ For the first time in 30 years, I think I’m actively avoiding the news.
“I find it too much at the moment. It’s just so depressing. I’ve removed myself. I’m choosy about what I watch and listen to; I always have been. It’s nice to step out of it at the moment – I think it always was exhausting but it’s really exhausting right now.”
Meanwhile, Stefanovic addressed speculation earlier this year about the possibility of Armytage joining the show, saying he “doesn’t see Sarah ever being replaced.”
“In this game, there’s stuff you have control of and there’s stuff you don’t. At any point on any given day, I can be replaced. The show is bigger than I am,” he told Stellar.
“I don’t see Sarah ever being replaced. And I genuinely have no interest in working with anyone else. That’s not a slight on Sam.
“I’ve done 20 years, and I don’t know about going through all that with another person. I’m closer to the end than the start. That’s the reality.”
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