Larry Emdur reveals why he has survived so long in TV industry

He’s a fixture on our TV screens but this Aussie veteran has conceded what has really kept him employed for years.

He’s the most successful and enduring TV host in the business but Larry Emdur insists it’s more “arse than class”.

“I’m TV’s most axed guy really, I say ‘yes’ to everything. I feel like I have gone from one disaster to the next, had more ‘worst’ shows than anyone but I’m still here,” said Emdur who hosts Channel 7’s The Morning Show alongside Kylie Gillies, and The Chase Australia.

He puts his success down to being grateful for every opportunity, being nice along the way, and to his side hustles – which he admits for a lot of years has been his TV work.

“Doing this job you’ve got no way of dictating your future or what it looks like, it’s one audition to the next and some of those contracts can be for a one month stint or even one episode,” Emdur said.

Larry Emdur at North Bondi Beach. He has made his own whiskey for his 60th birthday. Picture: Tim Hunter.

“I like to think I’ve been nice along the way … when a show gets axed people can show varying levels of respect. I’ve always been grateful for any opportunity and hopefully I’ve been a reasonable character in what’s a real cat fight of a business.”

Emdur said he learnt long ago that being strategic doesn’t work in television.

“I can’t say ‘in three years time I’m going to host my own Tonight Show’ because that’s not how this business works so, fingers crossed, I stay landed on these little wobbly feet.”

Larry Emdur on The Price is Right alongside Drew Carey.

Emdur with his The Morning Show co-host Kylie Gillies.

Should he, dare we say it, topple off his perch though, the popular Seven personality can fall back on corporate work and real estate.

“I also learnt very early that I can’t rely on TV and I’m very interested in property, that’s my side hustle but for a long time TV was my side hustle. For many years of my life TV for me as far as a bank balance, was my part-time job,” he said.

“Because I had a lot of shows strung together, was at one network then another then back again, there’s that perception that I’ve been ‘on TV’ all the time, which I’m fine with but it hasn’t been one long line of successful television shows.”

Emdur as a young champion surfer.

Emdur is also the host of The Chase.

Enter Emdur’s latest hustle – and one he never dreamt could be such a winner – a gold medal winner in fact.

During a Morning Show trip he visited Corowa Distilling Co and got to thinking about his “weird bucket list dream” to have his own whiskey for his 60th.

“I knew exactly what I wanted. Not a stiff old man’s smoky whisky. I wanted to make something cool that I could have with my mum or my mates,” he said.

“I knew what I wanted it to taste like but didn’t know how that would happen. I liken it to Old Henry Ford who said ‘I don’t know how to make a car but I know people who do’.”

After many tastings, Emdur declared: “That’s it”.

Then came the gold medal in San Francisco for Emdur’s creation, since named The Ben Buckler after his love of North Bondi. Its future looks bright. With intense interest from overseas, the side hustle might even turn into Emdur’s next full-time gig.

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