KARL’S DIVA MELTDOWN
THE MOMENT THE TODAY SHOW HOST SNAPPED
Karl Stefanovic is barely a month into his highly anticipated Today show comeback, but it already appears things haven’t been smooth sailing.
Exclusive New Idea images taken during the live broadcast from the Australian Open show the beleaguered host appearing to lose it on-set.
Karl was all smiles while the cameras were rolling, but it was a different story during filming breaks.
At one point, Karl looked to be up to his old larrikin ways as he engaged in a mock tennis-ball throwing fight with newsreader Tracy Vo.
But the 45-year-old was pictured looking uncomfortable and glancing sideways at his co-hosts. He even appeared to lean over to whisper into the ear of Allison Langdon.
Karl was then seen off-set looking tense while locked in conversation with a producer.
The diva meltdown comes off the back of a disappointing start to the year for the revamped Today show. Early ratings results reveal that despite the fanfare surrounding Karl’s return, they’ve barely managed to unseat Sunrise’s ratings dominance. For the first two ratings weeks of the year, Sunrise continued to win its time slot, with Today recently finishing with at least 158,000 viewers fewer than its rival. Meanwhile, Karl and Allison’s rapport has come under the microscope. Viewers initially welcomed the pair’s banterfilled hosting style. But Allison’s likeability could in fact be off-putting for Karl, who is accustomed to being the most popular host. This was apparent during a 3AW radio chat between Karl and host Neil Mitchell, when Ally gatecrashed the interview midway through.
“I don’t let anyone talk to Neil, he’s mine,” Karl said on-air. “Not any more, darl, we’re sharing!” Ally piped back.
But the spotlight was firmly back on Karl when he opened up to Neil about the aftermath of his divorce from ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn.
“I thought, ‘Well hang on, a lot of people go through this, and why is mine such a big deal?’ I still don’t know why it was,” he said.
“I got divorced, I did find
love again, I’m sorry if people are offended by that, but it’s made me really happy.”
Karl also managed to earn the ire of Today’s millennial fan base after going on a bizarre rant during a broadcast.
In a segment about young Victorian police recruits complaining about the quality of food at the police academy, Karl unleashed a tirade on the so-called ‘whingeing’ millennials. His co-hosts laughed off Karl’s comments, but seemed caught off-guard by his tirade.
Karl’s antics would hardly be the fresh start Nine Network execs were hoping for. But with many more ratings weeks ahead, there’s plenty of time for the show to turn around its fortunes.