Has Karl Stefanovic’s absence from Today Show led to them being beaten by Sunrise EVERY morning?

HE was once lauded for his roguish charm and blokey buffoonery. But has some of the shine worn off Karl Stefanovic in the wake of his very public marriage separation and his show of support for Anthony Bell?

• Karl forced off air by Nine boss over summer
• Karl return to Today Show after time off

HE was once lauded for his roguish charm and blokey buffoonery.

But has some of the shine worn off Karl Stefanovic in the wake of his very public marriage separation and his big show of support for embattled accountant Anthony Bell?

A week into his return from a two-month sabbatical and Today found itself soundly beaten by Sunrise every single day last week across the five-city metro ratings figures.

Karl Stefanovic had a tough year last year after his very publicised split with Cass Thorburn. He took some time off recently. But has that led to the ratings drop? Picture: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

The biggest disparity came on Monday, with Sunrise out-rating Today by 95,000 sets of eyeballs (Sunrise drew 337,000 viewers to Today’s 243,000).

Clearly the figures rattled at least a few suits at Nine’s Willoughby headquarters because no sooner had Friday’s ratings been tallied, then Stefanovic was bundled off to Melbourne for a schmooze-fest with journos.

Stefanovic poured his heart out about his split from wife-of-21-years Cass Thorburn and his failings as both a husband and father.

RELATED: KARL OPENS UP ABOUT SHOCK SPLIT FROM WIFE CASS

Now that he’s back, will the ratings come back up and possible beat Sunrise? Picture: Andrew Tauber

Time will tell if the self-flagellation will win back viewers.

However, there is no shortage of willing replacements for the man known as “Karlos”.

Nine reporter Tom Steinfort, for one, has made no secret of his desire for the gig, while Ben Fordham and Richard Wilkins have long been touted as future replacements.