Who’d have thought? Here I am, waking up with Today,” Sam Armytage chortled on social media while promoting her new show The Golden Bachelor on the brekkie program last month.
Now there’s talk that she could be offered a permanent seat on the Today show couch.
According to reports, the former Seven Sunrise veteran will fill in for Today hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo for a week and a half during the summer.
However, speculation is rife it could be a trial to see if Sam’s a good fit to take over for good. And there’s been serious backlash from some of Nine’s “old guard”.
OVERLOOKED
“There have been crisis meetings back to back since Sam was signed – the fact is the big bosses did not listen to the team when they objected to Sam coming on board,” a source tells Woman’s Day.
“Especially at Today, there are a lot of very upset people who really feel like they’ve once again been overlooked – there is no harder slap-down than to put your hand up for hosting The Golden Bachelor and virtually be told you’ve got the gig, to then read it in the newspapers that Sam is their surprise pick!
“Recently, when Sarah was going on leave, the big bosses apparently wanted Sam to be fill-in host with Karl. But when poor Sarah got wind of her replacement she was, according to colleagues, rightly upset. What followed was a huge push-back, and management bowed to Sarah, cancelling Sam, and instead putting Sylvia [Jeffreys] on as a safer option.”
This time, says the source, Sarah, 39, is resigned to the fact that if Sam wants it that much she can have it, and what stings even more is that Karl was instrumental at helping Sam get The Golden Bachelor gig at Nine.
A Nine spokesperson tells Woman’s Day rumours of Sam replacing Sarah permanently are false.
“The claims are completely untrue,” they insist. “Samantha, among others, will be filling in for a short time over summer, with Karl and Sarah returning on January 13.”
Of course, Nine staff have another reason to be bitter.
“On one hand, the network is wielding the axe and telling staff budgets are tight, then they hire Sam for a rumoured three-year $1.5 million deal – it’s insulting considering their stable of amazing talent,” adds the insider.
FULL CIRCLE MOMENT
It isn’t just money motivating Sam, 48, though, according to the source.
“She’s also keen to hit the big smoke again,” says the source. “She has been flooding her social media feed with pics of her back in the city at events, so she’s probably been eyeing this move for months.”
Of course, if she did end up hosting Today permanently, it would be a full-circle moment for Sam, who left Sunrise in 2021 after eight years at the helm.
And, says the source, “If Sam’s turn as Today co-host sees a spike in ratings and knocks Sunrise off the top spot even for a week, there’s no doubt Sam would feel a sense of satisfaction at beating her old rival Nat Barr.”
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