Karl Stefanovic’s new Today Show promo met with confusion

In a bold new Today show promo aired last night, Karl Stefanovic depicts serial killer Hannibal Lecter. Viewers are rightly confused by the choice.

A new Today show promo depicting Karl Stefanovic as Hannibal Lecter left Channel 9 viewers rightly baffled last night.

In a bid to pull viewers back from Sunrise, Stefanovic and his co-host Allison Langdon star in a puzzling Silence of the Lambs spoof, making light of Karl’s highly publicised fall from grace last year.

But, in what should come as little surprise, likening the television personality to an incarcerated cannibal hasn’t seemed to improve his popularity.

It opens to Karl standing in a suit in a cell littered with charcoal stick figure drawings.

The clip aired in a prime spot to the 1.15 million viewers watching last night’s Married At First Sight premiere.

But while the bold choice in character is presumably in reference to Karl’s cheeky, troublemaking ways, and not his propensity to eat people, not everyone is in on the joke, with the clip labelled “bizarre” and “cringe” on Twitter.

“Apparently I have been a very naughty boy,” a deadpan Stefanovic said in the dramatic video, standing in a suit in a jail cell behind bars.

Langdon responds, “This time Karl things are going to be different. Everyone is watching Karl, are you going to behave?”, to which he looks directly to the camera and asks viewers to “trust him”.

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The clip mirrors scenes from Silence of The Lambs, with Stefanovic as Dr Hannibal Lecter and Allison Langdon as Clarice Starling. Picture: Channel 9

In one alarming moment, Stefanovic mimics the hissing noise Hopkins makes in the film after his iconic “fava beans” line.

“This year, breakfast television gets juicy. It won’t be boring,” a voiceover promises the audience.

Innocent MAFS viewers were quick to slam the promo last night, labelling it “disturbing”, “sad” and “weird” on Twitter.

Did...did ch9 just make Karl out to be Hannibal? What a weird weird promo spot. #MAFS

— Filip (@mcfilip) February 3, 2020

I think all #MAFSAU fans can agree on one thing ... that Karl ad was cringe pic.twitter.com/hdmi0iFU4b

— What_Social_Commentary (@CommentaryWhat) February 3, 2020

God seeing Karl Stefanovic pretending to be Hannibal Lecter is rather disturbing #MAFS #todayshow

— Slap_dash_mama (@susiepkmelb) February 3, 2020

Today show promo. Yikes. #MAFS #MAFSAU pic.twitter.com/PItA2Ae0kW

— Harvey Specter The Cav (@SpecterCav) February 3, 2020

What the hell was the ad for the Today Show all about? Oh my God. #MAFSAU

— Justin Kelly (@rozza1001) February 3, 2020

That Karl and Ally ad was the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen #MAFS #mafsau

— Clare + Jessie Stephens (@Thinkspo1) February 3, 2020

Since his return to the flailing morning show – ousting Georgie Gardner and Deb Knight – Karl has said he’s confused by the uproar about his divorce from Cassandra Thorburn.

Just five months after he split from Thorburn, the Channel 9 star began a relationship with Jasmine Yarbrough, whom he married in December 2018.

The turmoil in his personal life affected Stefanovic’s popularity, particularly with female viewers of the Today show, and after months of mounting pressure at Channel 9, he was sacked from the breakfast show at the end of 2018.

Karl and Jasmine were married in Mexico in 2018.

Opening up in an interview with 3AW’s Neil Mitchell last month, he said: “I thought, ‘Well hang on, a lot of people go through this, and why is mine such a big deal?’ I still don’t know why it was.

“I got divorced, I did find love again, and I’m sorry if people are offended by that, but it’s made me really happy.”

Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon’s first Today Show of 2020. Picture: Channel 9

While Karl’s long-awaited return to Today was tipped to improve ratings for 2020, it seems yet to make an impact.

Stefanovic made his return on January 4, the first show attracting an audience of 231,000 in metro markets compared to 312,000 on Seven’s Sunrise.

Official television ratings don’t start until next week, however.

The new look Today team sees Stefanovic and Langdon supported by newsreader Tracey Vo, weather presenter Tim Davies, sports journalist Alex Cullen and entertainment reporter Brooke Boney.

What did you think of the Today ad? Comment below