The race for Sarah Abo’s hosting gig on the Today show is said to have gone down to the wire, with Sylvia Jeffreys reportedly pipping veteran TV personality Samantha Armytage to the lucrative role.
Abo announced earlier this week that she would be stepping away from the Nine network altogether, with the new mother on maternity leave since mid-July as she nurses her newborn son.
According to News.com.au, senior executives are said to have been partial to Armytage’s flirtatious on-screen persona, and knack for generating Karl Stefanovic-esque headlines.
However, with Jeffreys, 40, announcing her third pregnancy in August with Pete Stefanovic — brother of axed Today host Karl — the network was reminded of her youthful appeal to audiences.
There was said to be a live audition showdown in Abo’s absence, with each candidate vying for the gig as fill-ins on the Today couch.
Armytage, 50, also served as host of Seven’s Sunrise between 2013 and 2021.
Announcing Jeffreys and new co-host Tom Steinfort would take the reins from 2027, a Nine insider said the timing of Jeffreys’ pregnancy made the call difficult.
“The decision hung in the balance for a while,” the source said.
“Sylvia’s pregnancy left Nine execs who had been in her corner feeling conflicted. The timing isn’t ideal.”
Asked by Daily Mail for her thoughts on Jeffreys’ appointment, Armytage said taking on the role herself would have been a “backwards” step.
“Going back into breakfast TV would have been going backwards, and I don’t wanna do that at 50,” she said at Nine’s Upfronts on Thursday.
“I’m in forward motion and watch this space. It’s time for some fresh faces, I think Sylvia is a fabulous choice and I have done 15 years of breakfast TV on the highest possible level at such a huge show as Sunrise . . . and I am the first person that has ever done both shows on both networks shows so I kind of love that.
“I didn’t have anything left to prove.”
Armytage will continue to appear on the network as host of The Golden Bachelor Australia when it returns for season two in 2027.
Reports suggest both new Today hosts will be on less money than their predecessors, with Jeffreys said to expect $750,000 per year, roughly $50,000 less than Abo in the role.
Steinfort is believed to have accepted a similar figure to his new permanent co-host, a significant bump from his network news reading duties for $600,000.
As per The Australian, Stefanovic’s contract was roughly $2 million per year until he was let go in June, following a controversial podcast interview he hosted with far-right British figure Tommy Robinson.
