Joe Hildebrand on the revamped Studio 10: ‘The new show’s not for me’

Joe Hildebrand has opened up about the new-look Studio 10, saying the show with Sarah Harris and Tristan MacManus is “not his cup of tea”.

Joe Hildebrand has opened up about the revamped Studio 10, saying he hasn’t watched an episode because “it’s not his cup of tea”.

Hildebrand, who was on Studio 10 from its inception in 2013, announced on September 10 that he was leaving and his last day on air was the following day.

His announcement came after Channel 10 revealed in August that Studio 10 was getting a major shake-up with Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Natarsha Belling being booted from the show.

Channel 10 bosses asked Hildebrand to stay on in a new role, but he declined to “give the new show, whatever it may look like, a chance to breathe and have a fresh start without me hanging around”.

RELATED: Ex-Studio 10 boss apologises for calling revamped show ‘a piece of sh*t’

Joe Hildebrand quit Studio 10 earlier this month.

The new-look Studio 10 launched on September 14 with Sarah Harris and former Dancing With The Stars judge Tristan MacManus as co-hosts.

Speaking to news.com.au, Hildebrand said he’s yet to tune in.

“I think it’d be a bit creepy for me to sit down and watch the show,” he said. “It wouldn’t feel right.

“And to be brutally honest, part of the reason I left was to give the show a clean break and a clean start and also because the new format, I wish them all the best in the world, but it’s not really my cup of tea. I like news, I like politics, I like big debates and big laughs and a bit of unpredictability and that sort of stuff.

“I don’t think the show’s really targeted at people like me,” he told news.com.au. “I thought I’d just let it go and I wish them every bit of luck and good fortune, but no, the new show’s not for me on either side of the screen.”

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Studio 10 co-hosts Sarah Harris and Tristan MacManus.

HOW HARD IT WAS TO SAY GOODBYE

Hildebrand was in tears on air when he announced he was leaving Studio 10.

It wasn’t an easy decision to make, he said, but he’s now sure it was the right one.

“It was really, really hard,” Hildebrand told news.com.au. “The rejigging of the show sort of rattled my cage a bit and gave me the opportunity to think about things and I decided it would be best for everybody if I cut loose.

“I was pretty sure it was the right decision when I made it. I thought about it a lot. And I’m absolutely 100 per cent sure now that it was the right decision,” he said.

“I feel really happy and excited and energised to be trying new things and doing heaps of stuff that I’ve always wanted to do and probably would never have had the chance to if I had stayed on at Studio 10.”

The original Studio 10 line-up: Sarah Harris, Jessica Rowe, Joe Hildebrand and Ita Buttrose.

WHY HE LEFT THE FAREWELL PARTY

After his last episode on September 11, Hildebrand and the other hosts of the show went to Kennerley’s house for “a bit of a wake”. But Hildebrand left early, he revealed.

“It was sort of surreal,” he said about the gathering. “It was absolutely lovely but it just sort of felt a bit strange because half of us were moving on and half of us were staying.

“I was there and I thought, you know what, I want to leave them to feel excited about whatever it is they’re doing. I don’t want a eulogy or anything.”

Hildebrand told news.com.au he had two drinks before quickly leaving.

“I just really wanted to get home to my family,” he said. “I’d rather spend time with my kids than anyone else in the world.”

The end of an era. Picture: Tim Hunter

WHAT’S NEXT FOR HILDEBRAND

“I’m busier now than when I was doing the show for four hours a day, five days a week,” Hildebrand told news.com.au about life after Studio 10.

He recently signed with radio station 2GB to appear on air on Thursday nights with John Stanley, a role he’s already relishing.

“I’ve always wanted to go back to radio,” Hildebrand said. “The 2GB audience is very much the same as the Studio 10 audience that I really loved. They’re heartland, no nonsense, no bulls**t people, they like to have a laugh, they talk very plainly and straightly, they know what they think and they’re not afraid to say it.”

After two weeks on air, Hildebrand says he’s thoroughly enjoyed hearing listeners’ opinions on topics including US politics and coronavirus.

“I really love hearing what the mood is on the ground,” he told news.com.au. “I think that’s something that a lot of people in the media don’t get access to – they move in their illustrious circles and talk to other people in the media or politicians or people at the top of the tree and I love listening to people on the ground.”

In addition to his role on 2GB, Hildebrand is also co-hosting a podcast on US politics called I’m Usually More Professional and has “just signed on as host and co-creator of a six-part video series targeting the US market”.