Since TV’s worst kept secret was confirmed last week – Allison Langdon replacing Tracy Grimshaw as A Current Affair host – her Today co-stars who’ve been left behind in her wake are kicking up a stink!
However, according to a well-placed Nine insider, none are as disgruntled as her co-host Karl Stefanovic.
“He’s not exactly happy about all the big changes,” our spy tells Woman’s Day exclusively. “He always believed he was next in line to Tracy.”
The Today show posted this snub to Instagram.
(Image: Instagram)The insider spills that Karl, 48, was in “early talks” for the highly coveted gig and believed he was the frontrunner for the job.
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But when ACA executives refused to continue paying him his rumoured $1.5 million Today salary, all talks stalled. “There are whispers he just feels a bit overlooked,” adds the source.
DUMMY SPIT
To make matters worse, Karl is also said to be less than impressed with Ally’s replacement and his new co-star Sarah Abo. According to insiders, Karl believes she is “too highbrow” for the breakfast show and is worried she may outsmart him.
“He’s made no secret that his first pick was Amelia Adams,” says our source. “So Karl has been like a spoiled child on set since the announcement, mainly because he feels like they didn’t listen to him. He’s really fired up!”
Karl is not happy Allison landed the job!
(Image: Instagram)Woman’s Day is told Karl plans to take holidays for the next six weeks, where he will “work through how he is going to come back in 2023 with a team he had little or no say in”.
“For Karl, it’s all about chemistry and he’s not feeling it,” says the spy, who notes he and Ally, 43, had worked relentlessly to build a successful rapport.
Karl hasn’t exactly had a successful track record when it comes to his co-anchors, which have included high-profile presenters such as Lisa Wilkinson – who left the network after laying bare the pay disparity between herself and Karl – and Deborah Knight and Georgie Gardner, who both exited through the revolving doors of Today just as fast as they entered.
“He got along really well with Ally, and producers were beginning to see their brother-sister-like banter start to reflect in the ratings, so it’s a shame that she’s left… It’s back to the drawing board once again,” says the insider.
UNSETTLED & UPSET
While Karl is certainly making the most noise when it comes to his disappointment in his boss’ decisions, he’s not the only one with his nose out of joint.
“A lot of presenters are feeling unsettled by the new appointments,” our source explains. “They’re wondering why they also missed out, especially with the likes of Peter Overton and Sylvia Jeffreys not even getting a look in. There’s a lot of unrest right across the network.”
Ally’s ascent has been swift, with the star moving up the ranks ever since becoming a 60 Minutes reporter in 2011. In 2017, she replaced Deb Knight on Weekend Today before joining Karl on Today in 2020.
