‘He’s in a different headspace’: Inside Karl Stefanovic’s return to Today as Nine confirm’s shock new line-up
One of Nine’s top executives has revealed the inside story on Karl Stefanovic’s dumping from Today and why the network is ready to roll out the red carpet for his return.
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EXCLUSIVE
Benching Karl Stefanovic was the crash and burn the TV personality “needed to have”, according to one of Nine’s top executives.
Ahead of Stefanovic’s return to Today in 2020, Nine’s National Director of News and Current Affairs Darren Wick admitted the changes made to the show earlier this year – as fronted by Deb Knight and Georgie Gardner – were “too dramatic” and the network “didn’t quite get it right”.
Gardner and Knight had co-hosted Today in the wake of Stefanovic’s sensational exit at the end of 2018 amid a string of controversies in his personal life.
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It proved a ratings disaster for Nine and this has now led to the announcement of a third Today show line-up in 12 months, with Stefanovic set to return to the chair in less than three weeks.
Speaking to News Corp, Mr Wick said Stefanovic had experienced a “crash and burn” that the Gold Logie-winner “probably needed to have”.
“I think a year on, he’s very much in a different headspace to where he was a year ago,” Mr Wick said.
“The pressure and the focus and the intensity of everything that he was going through, it spun out of control.
“It was a crash and burn. It’s one of the crashes and burns that he probably needed to have.
“It has taken him out of the glare, out of the spotlight for a while. He’s been able to settle down everything in his private life. He’s in a great space.”
Nine today confirmed Stefanovic and co-host Allison Langdon – of 60 Minutes – will be joined on January 6 by newsreader Tracy Vo and former Sunday Night journalist Alex Cullen in sport. The only returning member of the team is entertainment reporter Brooke Boney.
Weather man Steve Jacobs and newsreader Tom Steinfort are out, and veteran showbiz presenter Richard Wilkins is moving to Weekend Today.
Mr Wick said Nine’s expectations for a ratings turnaround with Stefanovic and Langdon would be a “slow” approach. “In a perfect world, it would turn around by January 7 … these things often take time,” Mr Wick told News Corp.
But responsibility for lifting the ratings next year did not rest solely with star Stefanovic, Mr Wick said.
“I think that’s going to be good for Karl because he won’t feel the weight of the world is on him to carry everything,” he said.
“It’s the team. (Langdon) is a strong leadership character.
“He (Stefanovic) is a huge part … but this is very much a 50/50 partnership.”
Among the planned changes for Today in 2020 included “clearly-defined lanes for everyone’s roles” and going “back to basics” with the on-air format, Wick confirmed.
