Samantha Armytage not interested in taking Tracy Grimshaw’s A Current Affair role

Former Sunrise star Samantha Armytage has responded to murmurs she may have been approached for one of the biggest hosting jobs in Aussie TV.

Don’t expect to see Samantha Armytage make the leap from Seven to rival network Channel 9 anytime soon.

The former Sunrise host has made it clear she’s not gunning to take over Tracy Grimshaw’s A Current Affair hosting slot after Grimshaw announced she was stepping down earlier this month.

Grimshaw’s surprise career announcement prompted fierce speculation surrounding who may be next in line to take over her role when she signs off in November.

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Tracy Grimshaw announced she was leaving A Current Affair earlier this month. Source: news.com.au

According to The Australian’s Media Diary column, however, Nine insiders have insisted Armytage is not one of the preferred candidates, explaining she’s not considered a “fit” at the network.

Armytage herself also reached out to the publication, making it clear she had no intention of applying for the job.

“I’m under contract to Seven for another 18 months,” she told The Australian. “And I’m extremely happy.”

The host of News Corp’s Something To Talk About with Samantha Armytage podcast currently features Farmer Wants a Wife, and is understood to be part of Seven’s upcoming racing coverage.

Armytage will be involved in race day packages for Channel 7. Picture: Getty Images.

With a move to Nine off the cards, she’s also made it clear there’s no way she’d ever return to Sunrise, telling Stellar about her issues with the TV current affairs industry as a whole in August.

“When I do listen to radio and TV, no-one’s actually saying what they mean,” she said.

“Everybody’s walking this tightrope because they fear they’ll say the wrong thing and the mob will descend on them, and that’s not journalism, and it’s not what I was paid to do back in the old days.

“I can’t tell you how many random people on the street come up to me and say, ‘Oh my God, I miss you so much. You used to say what I was thinking at home.’ And, look, I don’t know if I’d be allowed to do that these days,” she added.

Discussing her podcast, Armytage says being free from “commercial television brainwashing” and able to produce long-form interviews had been a welcome change.

Sam was on Sunrise for almost eight years. Picture: Sunrise/Channel 7

Armytage left the Channel 7 show last year, less than two weeks after saying in an interview that the TV industry was full of narcissists.

Meanwhile, television stalwart Tracy Grimshaw has left big shoes to fill for the Nine Network.

Last week, The Australian suggested Nine may be looking outside the network to fill her seat – with those on the wishlist including eternally popular The Project host Carrie Bickmore.

According to The Daily Telegraph, everyone in Nine’s talent pool would be clambering for the role, for which Grimshaw was reportedly paid a salary of around $700,000.