As Channel Nine’s breakfast show Today’s ratings plummeted late last year, Karl Stefanovic couldn’t escape the months of speculation and rumours that he’d soon be sacked.
But when the Nine Network announced a drastic alteration to the Today lineup, Karl wasn’t the only one in the firing line.
It was out with the old and in with the new as the Today show team picked up fresh faces Brooke Boney, Tony Jones, Deborah Knight, Tom Steinfort and retained Karl’s former co-host, Georgie Gardner.
Karl was dropped, as many had suspected, Richard Wilkins was redeployed to Today Extra, Peter Stefanovic left the network altogether, sports reporter Tim Gilbert was moved on, and – in perhaps the biggest surprise of all – so was newsreader Sylvia Jeffreys.
In a statement following the announcement, Sylvia said:
“I’ve loved and embraced every minute of my Today show chapter and feel humbled to have worked with so many passionate people – hosts, studio crew, cameramen and producers – who have become my great mates.
“There are few shows that are fortunate to have such an engaged audience, and I thank our viewers for inviting me into their homes day after day.
“I’m thrilled to sink my teeth into a brand new project. Opportunity often knocks when you least expect it and I’m ready to dive right in to what’s ahead of me.”
Now, having stayed with Nine, the A Current Affair reporter has admitted her sacking from Today was not only a surprise to viewers. She had no idea it was coming.
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Top Comments
I wonder if her career and personal brand wasn't so necessarily linked to her partner if she would have been considered "collateral". Someone with an independent track record of career success and professional identity may have been retained.
Good observation.
On a related note - isn't it amazing how Karl and Jasmine were pictured everywhere throughout their relationship until the point Karl was sacked? Things went quiet literally overnight. Can't help that it was orchestrated all along. No wonder channel 9 wants nothing to do with the Stefanovic brand.
To be fair, "being pictured everywhere" was 99% pap shots for intellectual journals like New Idea. I didn't ever get the impression they were staging those shots themselves. Moreover, now they're boringly married and he's not on the telly, there's less profit or reason for the tabloids to run with any Stefanovic stories.