Channel Nine is actively preparing for a future without veteran presenter Karl Stefanovic, with senior executives quietly orchestrating a significant transformation of the long-running Today show. This strategic planning comes as Stefanovic, 52, and his current co-host Sarah Abo, 39, commence what industry insiders speculate could be their last joint ratings campaign for the breakfast television program.
Executive War-Gaming and Format Revolution
According to sources speaking to Media Diary, succession planning for Stefanovic's departure is being intensively "war-gamed" at the highest levels within Nine's North Sydney headquarters. Some network executives are advocating for nothing less than a complete demolition and reconstruction of the Today show's established format, arguing that only such radical measures could potentially enable the program to mount a serious challenge against Channel Seven's dominant Sunrise in the fiercely competitive breakfast television ratings battle.
Potential Successors in the Frame
Speculation about who might eventually fill Stefanovic's coveted co-hosting position has already begun circulating within media circles. Melbourne-based newsreader Tom Steinfort and recently appointed Brisbane evening anchor Joel Dry are both reportedly under consideration for the role. Meanwhile, more ambitious voices within the network are reportedly exploring the possibility of poaching Sunrise star presenter Matt Shirvington, a move that would represent a significant coup in the ongoing television rivalry.
Two Decades of Ratings Struggle
This potential shake-up arrives as Stefanovic approaches more than twenty years at the helm of what remains Australia's second-most-watched breakfast television program. Despite being paired with a succession of high-profile co-hosts throughout his tenure—including Jessica Rowe, Lisa Wilkinson, Allison Langdon, and most recently Sarah Abo—the Today show has consistently trailed behind Sunrise in the ratings under his leadership.
More recently, network rumours suggested that former Sunrise host Samantha Armytage might replace Abo following her defection to Channel Nine as host of The Golden Bachelor. However, this plan was ultimately abandoned after Stefanovic successfully persuaded executives to grant him one final opportunity to compete for the ratings crown alongside Abo.
Stefanovic's Independent Podcast Venture
Separately from his television commitments, Stefanovic recently launched his own independent YouTube podcast project. Announcing the venture on Instagram last month with a clip of himself working in a recording studio, he described the podcast as an opportunity to unleash his "curious beast" and engage in unfiltered conversations.
"I am free and independent to talk to the people I am curious about. People who have done amazing things, people who have stories to tell," Stefanovic explained. "It's interesting, unscripted, unfiltered and uncensored. I am going to unleash the beast."
He revealed that the podcast would feature interviews across politics, sport, business, and culture, leveraging what he described as a well-developed "bulls**t metre" and an eye for compelling stories developed through decades of television experience.
A Turbulent Television Career
Stefanovic first assumed his role on the Today show in 2005 but was dramatically dismissed in 2018 following a prolonged ratings decline that coincided with intense media scrutiny of his personal life. The program's viewership difficulties began around September 2016 when news emerged of his separation from Cassandra Thorburn, his wife and mother of his three children.
His relationship with now-wife Jasmine Yarbrough, who is ten years his junior, began several months later. Stefanovic then became embroiled in the 2018 "Ubergate" scandal when private conversations between him and his brother Peter were reportedly overheard and subsequently sold to a publication by an Uber driver.
His dismissal from Today occurred just days after his lavish wedding in Mexico, though he continued hosting This Time Next Year until its cancellation in October 2019 and later contributed to 60 Minutes. Stefanovic made his return to the Today show in early 2020, joining Allison Langdon at the desk before his current partnership with Sarah Abo.
Key Career Milestones
- 1994: Began journalism career with WIN in Rockhampton and Cairns as a cadet reporter
- 2000: Joined Channel Nine as a Brisbane-based reporter
- 2005: Replaced Steve Liebmann as Today show host
- 2011: Won the coveted Gold Logie award
- 2016: Publicly apologised for using a transgender slur; separated from wife Cassandra Thorburn
- 2018: Involved in Ubergate scandal; married Jasmine Yarbrough in Mexico; dismissed from Today show
- 2020: Returned to Today show alongside Allison Langdon
