KARL DUMPED AGAIN
THE FORMER TV HOST ISN’T HAPPY WITH THE NEWS
With high hopes of sliding back into his old role fronting breakfast television, Karl Stefanovic has been dealt yet another devastating blow to his career comeback plans.
A source reveals the star was mid-negotiations to once again host channel Nine’s Today show and preparing to sign a brand-new contract when he discovered that he had been ditched at the last minute in favour of his good friend, Ben Fordham.
“The bosses have been trying to woo Fordo over for years,” says our well-placed source. “But no matter how sweet they make the deal he keeps knocking it back.”
Having set his sights on replacing Alan Jones on his prime radio slot, insiders say that Ben was simply biding his time until his much-loved co-worker retired.
And with industry insiders having tipped that to happen this month when his contract ended, the popular presenter didn’t think he would be waiting for long.
But in a surprising move that shocked the entertainment industry the stalwart journalist went back into negotiations agreeing to stay on for another two years, leaving Ben’s grand plans up in the air.
“Nine bosses couldn’t believe their luck,” says the source. “They are ready to do whatever it takes to secure Ben now, because in truth they think he can save the show. He ticks all their boxes and has a squeaky-clean history.”
But with Georgie Gardner and Deborah Knight struggling to win back viewers, Ben is now worried the role is cursed. “Everyone just blamed Karl for a long time, but he has been gone for almost six months now and viewers
“EVERYONE JUST BLAMED KARL FOR A LONG TIME, BUT HE HAS BEEN GONE FOR SIX MONTHS”
are still turning off,” says the source. “And Ben did say last year he wouldn’t be returning to the show and was looking forward to spending time with his wife Jodie and their two kids, but of course that’s when he thought he would be replacing Alan Jones.”
When ratings dropped, apparently the network had turned to Karl earlier this month hoping that, given the time away, the Gold Logie winner could be a hit again. Having taken heed of their warning and avoiding the spotlight since his lavish Mexican wedding to Jasmine Yarbrough, Karl has spent months towing the line and was thrilled it paid off, welcoming their ‘olive branch’ and hoping to start fresh. “Of course he is devastated that he has been side-stepped,” says the source.
Karl has been keeping himself busy, helping his wife with her shoe designer company, travelling and hitting the gym but the source reveals that he was done with the time off.
“It seemed like things were finally turning the corner for him, he has done everything they wanted and he was excited to get back to work so he could prove himself again.”
Meanwhile in bittersweet news, Karl’s brother Pete, who was also caught up in the Uber scandal that saw him booted from the studio, has just landed his dream job on Sky News.
The source says: “It’s a bit of a kick in the guts for Karl because it was Pete that made the call and put him on speaker phone,” says the source. “And now he has ended up with the breakfast show gig at Sky with a hefty pay rise, while Karl hasn’t been on air since.”