KARL’S WEEK FROM HELL
As Australia wakes up with the new Today line-up – with co-hosts Georgie Gardner, Deborah Knight and newsreader Tom Steinfort – for the first time this week, the breakfast program’s former leading man, Karl Stefanovic, is slowly coming to terms with his new life.
Karl was dumped from the coveted role he held for 14 years at the end of last year, and is doing just about anything to keep himself busy.
Sporting jeans and a casual jumper, the 44-year-old is said to be relishing his new-found freedom and sleep-ins. He was recently spotted at The Buena, a pub in Sydney’s affluent harbourside suburb of Mosman, where he was seen having a few drinks and playing the poker machines.
“It was a beautiful sunny day outside but Karl was the only person in the pokie room and he was playing alone,” reports an onlooker.
According to an industry insider, Karl’s solo outing came just days after the father-of-three met with Channel Nine bosses following his most recent social media scandal.
The newlywed had apparently thrown his support behind his Instagram followers who expressed their distaste over the new line-up of the troubled breakfast show, by liking their posts.
“The ‘liking’ of the posts was critical of the network,” says the insider, adding that Karl had been instructed not to use social media on multiple occasions by management in a bid to help him rebuild his reputation, which began spiralling out of control when he split from his ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn in 2016.
After their break-up, Karl then went on to reveal his romance with much-younger shoe designer Jasmine Yarborough, 34, and the couple wed in what’s been described as an over-the-top affair in Mexico on Dec. 8 last year.
Wearing a black-and-white cap and walking with his head down, Karl tried his best to go incognito as he and Jasmine boarded a flight from Sydney bound for Noosa, Queensland, last week after attending the meeting at Nine headquarters.
New Idea understands Karl had been holidaying in the Sunshine State with Jasmine’s family when he received a call demanding he return to Sydney to face the music – yet again.
And while Karl insists his Instagram account was hacked while he was out fishing, and that he has reported the incident to authorities, a police spokesperson has told New Idea no complaint was ever made to them and therefore an investigation is not under way.
“WHO COULD HAVE DREAMED THAT WALKING OUT ON CASS THAT DAY WOULD END LIKE THIS?”
“The NSW police force has not received a complaint regarding this matter,” a media representative confirmed.
“As soon as Karl got the call, he knew he was probably going to be in trouble and he was concerned bosses would use this opportunity to get rid of him once and for all,” says the insider.
At the time of Karl’s departure from Today, the network said he would stay on as host of its reality show, This Time Next Year.
After the “urgent” meeting, Karl and Jasmine wasted no time sticking around and were seen boarding a Jetstar flight back to Queensland.
Despite the events of the morning, and keen to continue his holiday, Karl headed to the Alexandra Headland Surf Life Saving Club for the rest of the afternoon.
“He was there for several hours,” says an onlooker, adding staff at the club had been informed Karl was on his way and gave him the VIP treatment.
“He was picked up at the airport by a friend. Staff waited for him outside and ushered him through like a celebrity.”
Meanwhile, it’s believed Karl has been left gobsmacked by the way his life has changed in a matter of years, and is disappointed by the way he has been treated since leaving Cass, with whom he shares three children, Jackson, 19, Ava, 13, and River, 12.
“Who could have dreamed that walking out on Cass that day would end like this,” adds the insider.